Last month (Oct 2014) we visited Wildseed farms, a working wildflower farm, shop, restaurant and one of my favorite stops in the Texas hill country. At the farm the Monarch butterflies were busy moving from flower to flower to get the energy needed for their annual migration south to Mexico. Monarchs have the longest migration of any butterfly in the world, with some Monarchs journeying more than 2500 miles to winter in Mexico.
Monarch Butterflies at Wildseed farms, Fredericksburg, TX
We, and many other visitors to the farm, were invited to participate in a combined effort between Wildseed farms and Monarch Watch in tagging these beautiful butterflies. The tagging program assists scientists in tracking the butterflies during their migration.
Monarchs offer an excellent opportunity to teach children about nature. Additional information on Monarchs can be found at numerous websites including the following:
The Life Cycle Of The Monarch Butterfly With Pictures & Facts (activewild.com) - this website provides an excellent summary of the lifecycle of this amazing butterfly.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/ - this site offers both information and activities. I suggest reading the conservation link to learn about the threats this marvelous creature faces. Some of the activities listed on Monarchwatch offer excellent ways for children to get involved directly with the Monarchs. These activities include:
+ creating a Monarch Waystation
+ Butterfly Gardening
+ Butterfly tagging
+ Raising Monarchs
+ Milkweed planting - Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on these plants
Take time watch the Monarch's. They are so delicate. Their flight seems to have no direction, randomly bouncing up and down as if ridding on a invisible stream of air. Somehow though, despite many obstacles, the Monarch's continue their annual migration.
Praise be to God.
The Folks at A Nature Walk with God