- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Life Cycle
Like all butterflies, Monarch butterflies have four life stages:
- Egg: The female Monarch lays her eggs on their sole host plant, the milkweed (Asclepias). She generally lays one egg per plant. Each egg is about the size of a grain of salt.
- Larva (Caterpillar): After 3 – 5 days, the Monarch egg hatches to a larva, also called a caterpillar, eating only milkweed leaves. They go through five instar stages over a period of 10 – 14 days as they grow from 1/16th of an inch to about two inches, molting their exoskeleton at each stage.
- Pupa: The caterpillar finds a protected place to develop its chrysalis for the pupal stage. During the next 11-15 days the pupa will change to an adult by liquifying its body while inside the chrysalis, ultimately emerging to the adult butterfly.
- Adult: In the final hours before emergence, the chrysalis becomes translucent, a crack will appear, with the Monarch butterfly freeing itself from the case. Hanging from the now-empty chrysalis case, it will spend the next few hours pumping fluid into its wings until they are firm enough to fly. Eventually it will take flight and start seeking out nectar for its 1st meal. Adult Monarch butterflies feed on flowers, which makes them pollinators. The nectar provides energy for flight, mating, and migration.
Milkweed
Migration
The Monarch migration is extraordinary with none quite like it in the butterfly world. A Monarch butterfly begins an epic one-way journey south up to 2,800 miles to a specific place where they have never been to before, where their great-grandparent spent the previous winter. It remains largely a mystery how successive generations know the route and where to spend the winter months.
Late in summer or early fall, a final generation emerges. Triggered by changes in temperature and sunlight, this generation will migrate south. Known as the “Methuselah” generation (after the biblical patriarch said to have lived 969 years), they can live up to 6 – 8 months. They do not emerge as sexually mature butterflies, being in a “sexual diapause,” so their energies can be focused on developing flight muscles and storing lipids for their long journey south and surviving the winter months.
Come spring, with warming temperatures and longer days, these butterflies will become sexually mature, feed on nectar, mate, and start moving northward, laying eggs, which will hatch to continue the annual migration cycle.
You may see migrating Monarchs this fall in your garden feeding on nectar flowers, resting on flat flowers or rocks, or drinking from water sources. Admire them, but leave them be, since they still have some distance to go to reach their wintering grounds. In California, their wintering spots are along coastal areas from Monterey area (Pacific Grove) to San Diego.
Monarchs in Trouble
In temperate areas like the Central Valley, the tropical milkweed plant (Asclepias currasavica) does not go dormant. A parasite that lives on the plant is ingested by developing caterpillars and is linked lower migration success and reductions in lifespan. Choose milkweed species that goes through winter dormancy such as narrowleaf milkweed and showy milkweed (A. fasicularis and speciosa.)
The IUCN announcement states: "The western population is at greatest risk of extinction, having declined by an estimated 99.9%, from as many as 10 million to 1,914 butterflies between the 1980s and 2021.” In addition, "The larger eastern population also shrunk by 84% from 1996 to 2014. Concern remains as to whether enough butterflies survive to maintain the populations and prevent extinction."
Sign up for our Free Class!
Date: Saturday, October 15, 2022
Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 am
Where: Stanislaus Agricultural Center, 1800 Cornucopia Way, Harvest Hall
Register: http://ucanr.edu/monarchs/2022
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Resources:
- Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterflies
- Butterflies in Your Garden https://ucanr.edu/sites/CEStanislausCo/files/345791.pdf
- Xerces Society - Pollinator Plants: California https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists/pollinator-plants-California
- UC Davis Arboretum – Larval Hosts for Butterflies https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/blog/larval-host-plants-butterflies
- California Native Plant Society – Native Planting Guides https://www.cnps.org/gardening/choosing-your-plants/native-planting-guides
- Tropical Milkweed - a no grow https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow
- Calscape CA native plants https://www.calscape.org/
- UC ANR Bug Squad Blog https://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) https://www.iucn.org/
- The Monarch: Saving Our Most Beloved Butterfly, by Kylee Baumle, St. Lynn's PressMilkweed Poisoning: https://www.poison.org/articles/milkweed-can-cause-serious-poisoning-204
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Manzanita Pest
My first step was to go to the University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) website to possibly determine what the manzanita plants had. IPM is a wonderful resource with a wide range of links with information on science-based home, garden, turf, and landscape pest management. http://ipm.ucanr.edu/
After doing some exploring on IPM I learned the plants probably had Manzanita leafgall aphid (Tamalia coweni). I knew of galls caused by tiny wasps existing on some trees such as oaks but learning that some aphids can cause galls was new and fascinating knowledge to me!
This website also includes links to the Stanislaus Sprout which is a weekly blog packed with information, upcoming classes and workshops, and gardening publications. https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/
Managing the Manzanita Pest
One IPM solution given was to avoid frequent irrigation or with excessive amounts of water. Once manzanita plants are well-established, they thrive with less frequent watering, so I was already not watering them often. Pruning was not recommended since it would stimulate new growth, which could attract more aphids, though I did remove leaves with the galls on them.
Take Advantage of These Resources
You do not have to be a Master Gardener to take advantage of the science-based resources I have discussed, the Integrated Pest Management website and the Stanislaus County Master Gardeners' Help Desk. They are available to all, not just to Master Gardeners. Like me, you can continue to learn new information that you can apply to your garden!
Resources and Information
- Aphids: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html
- Beneficial insects, including lady beetle larvae and paper wasps: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/beneficialpredatorscard.html
- Beneficial insects: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/beneficialinsectscard.html
- Oak Galls: (http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/INVERT/oakgallwps.html
Denise has been a Master Gardener since 2020. All photos taken by Denise Godbout-Avant unless otherwise noted.
/h3>- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Plants
If you have the space, plant an oak tree! While it will take several years for the tree to mature, few plants provide more benefits to nature than an oak tree. One Valley oak tree can provide food, water, and shelter to approximately 350 vertebrate species and over 250 species of insects and arachnids.
Choose plants that bloom at different times of the year, to ensure something is always blooming during the different seasons thus providing nectar sources year-round. Include some plants which produce berries to provide food sources attractive to birds and insects.
Lawns lack variety, thus reducing your lawn space and replacing it with native plants will increase the diversity in your garden. Decreasing the frequency of mowing permits grasses to grow taller, allowing flowers to grow and bloom which would attract bees and butterflies. You can also sprinkle some daisy and clover seeds into your lawn to provide forage plants and flowers for many beneficial insects.
Water
Ponds with aquatic-loving plants can encourage amphibians such as salamanders or toads, or wetland insects such as dragonflies, to visit and set up their homes.
Butterflies engage in behavior called “puddling,” where they stop in muddy puddles for water and nutrients. You can recreate this by filling a terra cotta saucer with soil and pebbles, sink it into the ground and keep it moist. Again, change the water regularly.
Plants and rocks around the water source(s) provide shelter, camouflage, and spots for creatures like butterflies, lizards, or turtles who like to sun themselves near water.
Housing for Bees
Leave the Leaves
Leaving leaves as they drop from your trees and bushes provides food and shelter for a variety of living creatures including worms, beetles, millipedes, larvae of some butterflies and moths, toads, frogs and more. These in turn attract birds, mammals, and amphibians that rely on the smaller organisms as a food source.
Chemicals
One Step at a Time
Changing your garden into a wildlife haven will likely be a step-by-step process over a period of time. Building a garden attractive to wildlife will bring you the enjoyment of watching them and the knowledge you are helping wildlife thrive.
Resources listed provide information for ways to you to build a garden attractive to wildlife.
- Butterflies in Your Garden: https://ucanr.edu/sites/CEStanislausCo/files/345791.pdf
- Sustainable Landscaping: https://ucanr.edu/sites/stancountymg/Sustainable_Landscaping/
- Trees in Your Garden: https://ucanr.edu/sites/CEStanislausCo/files/341553.pdf
- Pollinator-Friendly Native Plants Lists: https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists
- UC IPM Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/
- The Bee Gardener: The Cavities You Want to Have: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=12785
- How to Make and Use Bee Houses for Cavity Nesting Bees: https://beegarden.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/How-to-build-and-use-bee-blocks.pdf
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Stanislaus County Master Gardener since 2020.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Honey Bees
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) do not hibernate during the winter. During cold days honey bees cluster around their queen to provide her with warmth and feed on their stockpile of nectar. However, when the temperature rises to 55°F (13°C) or higher, worker bees will leave the hive to forage for pollen.
Native Bees: Bumble Bees & Solitary Bees
Unlike honey bees, most bees live underground. Some “early bird” native bee species emerge from their overwintering sites earlier than others. These include black-tip bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus) and yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii). Some solitary bees such as mining bees (Adrena) and digger bees (Habropoda) will also appear in the winter.
Plants that Bloom in February
Here, in California's Central Valley, it is not unusual to have some warmer sunny days in the midst of winter. Home gardeners who wish to have gardens that are attractive to bees can provide them with a diversity of plants which bloom during different seasons, including plants that bloom in the winter when flowers can be scarce. By doing this, the gardener ensures there is always a source of pollen for local bees to collect, no matter what time of year it is.
- California Wild Lilac – Ceanothus is an evergreen bush that can turn many Western hills blue in the winter. There are several varieties for home gardeners to choose from including the following:
o Ceanothus griseus horizontalis – Yankee Point ceanothus: A ground cover with light blue flower clusters in winter and spring.
o C. thyrsiflorus – Blueblossom ceanothus: A popular landscaping choice, it varies in height from 2-3 ft. to 25 ft. or more with flowers that range from light to dark blue which bloom in winter and spring.
o C. rigidus ‘Snowball' – White Monterey lilac: As the name suggests, unlike many Ceanothus, this 3-5 ft. tall and wide bush produces white flowers in the fall and winter.
o C.maritimus ‘Valley Violet” – Santa Barbara ceanothus: At 2 ft. tall x 4 ft. wide, this smaller, tough, reliable plant has lovely dark-violet flowers. It was named one of UC Davis Arboretum's 100 top “All-Star” plants.
- Lavandula angustifiola – English lavender: This variety of sweetly fragrant lavender is more tolerant to cold and frost and will bloom throughout the summer and winter if dead blossoms are removed regularly. Ranging from 8 in. to 2ft. width and height, there are many selections to choose from in various shades of lavender-blue, pink or white.
- Manzanita are evergreen bushes native to the far West and need little to moderate water once established. All have small urn-shaped flowers, typically blooming in late winter or early spring followed by red or brown berries that are attractive to birds.
o Arctostaphylos manzanita – Native to California, this bush can get to 7 x 7 ft. with pink flowers.
o A. pajaroennsis – Grows 3-8 ft. tall, 10-12 ft. wide. Pink and white flowers bloom a long time.
- Peritoma arborea – Bladderpod: This drought-tolerate evergreen California native bush, also known as spiderflower, grows 3-6 ft. tall with a 2-3 ft. spread. Showy yellow flowers bloom in late winter through early spring. Easy to grow, they self-seed.
- Cersis occidentalis – Western Redbud: This deciduous tree can grow to 10-18 ft. tall and wide with handsome heart-shaped dark green leaves. Magneta flowers can begin blooming in February in warmer areas.
- Eschscholzia californica – California Golden poppy: California's native flower, some start blooming in the winter and often continue throughout the summer into early autumn. The satiny four-petaled flowers vary from yellow to lighter or darker shades of orange. These 12-inch high plants reseed themselves.
- Hardenbergia violacea - Lilac Vine: Native to Australia, these have twining stems which need support, with evergreen foliage, and clusters of sweet-pea shaped violet, rose or pinkish-purple flowers which provide color to the winter garden. They grow up to 10 ft.
For Valentine's Day Plant a Winter-Blooming Plant
Bees are in decline due to many factors, including pesticide use, urbanization, and Climate Change. When selecting plants for your garden this year, consider placing some winter-blooming, bee-friendly plants in your landscape this Valentine's Day. You'll be providing both native and honey bees with sources of nectar during a time of year when flowers are scarce and adding some color to your winter garden!
If you have flowers blooming right now, we want to hear from you! Please post your favorite February bloomers in the comments below.
Sources and Additional Information:
Sunset Western Garden Book. 2012 Printing
Piedmont Master Gardeners – The Garden Shed Newsletter, August 2019. The Bees In Your Backyard.
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=27237
UCCE Master Gardeners of San Bernadino, May 23, 2018. Getting to Know Our Native Bees.
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=27237
UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. Learn More About California Native Bees.
https://arboretum.sf.ucdavis.edu/blog/beyond-honey-bee-learn-more-about-california-native-bees
UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden. Arboretum All-Stars. https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum-all-stars
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Blog, 27 December 2019.
Insect Apocalypse? What Is Really Happening; Why It Matters; And How We All Can Help.
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a Stanislaus County Master Gardener since 2020.
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- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
- Author: Elaine Lander
The CDC health advisory states “Veterinary formulations intended for use in large animals such as horses, sheep, and cattle (e.g., “sheep drench,” injection formulations, and “pour-on” products for cattle) can be highly concentrated and result in overdoses when used by humans. Animal products may also contain inactive ingredients that have not been evaluated for use in humans. People who take inappropriately high doses of ivermectin above FDA-recommended dosing may experience toxic effects.”
Incorrect use of any pesticide can lead to injury, negative health impacts, or severe illness. Be sure to always read and understand the label when using pesticides and only use them where specified on the label. As a reminder, disinfectants are pesticides too, and should be used properly to minimize health risks.
Visit our website for more information on pesticides in homes and landscapes. If you suspect that you or someone you know is experiencing serious illness due to pesticide exposure, contact the Poison Control hotline at 800-222-1222.