Update on the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium. Sue Blodgett Departments of Entomology and Natural Resource Ecology and Management

Transcription

1 1 Update on the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium Sue Blodgett Departments of Entomology and Natural Resource Ecology and Management

2 Topics Monarch butterfly status A little biology Seeding monarch habitat Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium Five Steps 2

3 Overwintering monarch butterflies in Mexico 3

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5 By March, Monarch s are thirsty & habitat is dry; Butterflies move down mountain to water

6 Journey North Monarch Migration, 2017 Track migration:

7 Image by P. Mirocha, Tucson, AZ

8 First butterfly sighted, 2016

9 First butterfly sighted, 2016

10 Monarch Summer Breeding (2 to 3 generations) Breeding limit 95% population 50% population From: Wassenaar and Hobson,

11 Summer breeding area 50-95% of wintering monarchs in Mexico were born in the Midwest (Wassenaar and Hobson, 1998). Midwest region (IL, IN, IA, MN, OH, WI) produces 58% US corn & 54% US soybeans (USDA NASS 2015). Midwest has experienced the greatest habitat loss; multiple causes, but predominantly from conversions of grasslands and rangelands to cropland (Hartzler 2010; Pleasants and Oberhauser, 2012). Extreme weather storms From NRCS & USFWS, 2016

12 Recent actions USFWS petitioned (2014) to list monarch butterfly as an threatened species Federal protection may be warranted Assessment due June 2019

13 Monarch butterfly status: in Iowa and the Nation Monarch population decline is real Many causes, including loss of overwintering and breeding habitat Upper Midwest is key to the summer reproductive/breeding range of the monarch Petition to list as threatened species 13

14 Breeding habitat: Monarch butterfly caterpillars only feed on milkweeds 14

15 Questions What are the needs of monarch? What milkweed species How many do we need? Where? What is the role of companion plants? What is the summer range of an individual monarch?

16 Iowa State University (ISU) Milkweed species planted, 2015 Research and Demonstration Farms 16

17 Nine demonstration milkweeds Swamp milkweed Butterfly milkweed Tall Green milkweed Showy milkweed Prairie milkweed Common milkweed Poke milkweed Whorled milkweed Honeyvine milkweed 1-8 photos: Prairie Moon Nursery 17

18 ISU Field Extension Education Laboratory (FEEL) ISU Armstrong Farm 18

19 Six companion plants Golden Alexanders Pale purple coneflower Prairie blazing star Wild bergamot Showy goldenrod New England aster Photos: Prairie Moon Nursery 19

20 What have we learned Adult egg laying preference Common milkweed most attractive Larva feeding preference Greatest larval numbers on swamp milkweed Best survival on swamp milkweed Overwintering success of all 9 species Growth habit Honeyvine milkweed eek! Potential for weed management

21 What are we doing Tagging monarch butterflies & tracking movements Fisher & Bradbury Modeling populations in IA landscape Grant & Bradbury Sampling monarchs through IDNR MSIM program Evaluating monarch larvae for sublethal insecticide doses

22 Traditional Radio Telemetry Techniques Directional Antenna Receiver Transmitter ( Tag ) Directional Antenna Operator Photo Credit: Advanced Telemetry Systems ~ 14 cm; ~ 0.25g ~ 0.53g

23 Connect and Analyze Locations Step Length Frequency 0-10m m m m m 1

24 Monarch model Movement Oviposition Dr. Tyler Grant Monarch interactions with different landscapes 3 Monarchs Objective: Develop general model for all States to use to maximize monarch production 24

25 Monarch density across Iowa Dr. Stephen Dinsmore Dr. Karen Kinkead ISU and DNR: Multiple Species Inventory and Monitoring (MSIM) Program 25

26 Practicalities of Establishing Monarch Habitat

27 Seed Dealer/Seed Source Selection Considerations Pricing $$$ Availability True seed source (where seed was grown) Contaminants: Palmer amaranth Seed lab testing purity, germ Select Seed Dealer(s) Early Talk to seed dealers at least one year in advance of planting

28 Existing Vegetation Management

29 Monarch Habitat Establishment Sites prd1 prd2 sut2 nor1 all1 all2 vos1 fis1 nie1 pre1 pre2 pre3 pre4 bcr1 bcr2 gro1 gro2 byd1 byd2 uth1 uth2 uth3 ber1 ber3 app1 tie1 pio1 pio2 dun2 dun3 arm1 arm2 nkn1 nkn2 ver1 cra1 cre1 PORK SOY Iowa CIG National CIG

30 Give the monarch habitat an edge Kill invasive species Preserve existing native species Reduce existing plant biomass/residue Provide good seed to soil contact for prairie seed Minimize soil disturbance

31 Establishing monarch habitat Vegetation augmentation Conserve resident species Low rate glyphosate Grass herbicides Biomass reduction mowing/burning Vegetation replacement High rate glyphosate (2-3 times) 31

32 Planting

33 Major Takeaways Find a good seed dealer(s) early; buy early Kill non-native species with herbicides No-till drilling is preferred planting method Plant in late fall dormant conditions Don t plant too deep Seeding Rate: ~75% forbs (seed/sq ft) or 3:1 ratio of forbs:grasses Cost: $814/acre

34 Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium Community-led organization (35 members& partners) Mission: enhance monarch butterfly reproduction and survival in Iowa Partner: farmers, private citizens and their organizations. Goals: o Sound scientific and practical approaches o Target underutilized areas that do not conflict with agricultural production 34

35 Research and assessment goals Establishing and maintaining monarch habitat Assess monarch larval and adult needs Limit weeds in habitats Management for sustainable habitat Monitoring monarch population response 35

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37 Implications USFWS petitioned (2014) to list monarch butterfly as an endangered species Federal protection may be warranted Assessment due June 2019 Decision will consider progress made in identifying and implementing conservation plan/measures

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