Essential Pollinators

 

After last week's spring and summerish weather, you might be seeing more pollinators in your neighborhood. 

Pollinators — including bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and moths — are essential to New Jersey’s food, gardens, and natural areas: roughly one out of every three bites of food depends on animal pollination, and local programs from Rutgers and Jersey‑Friendly Yards offer practical, region‑specific ways to help. 

Pollinators transfer pollen that enables plants to produce fruits, seeds, and nuts. This service supports about one‑third of global food production and underpins many of the fruits, vegetables, nuts, and oilseeds that make diets nutritious. 

In the United States, insect pollination was valued at tens of billions of dollars, reflecting the economic importance of these species to agriculture and local farms. New Jersey crops that rely on pollinators include blueberries, cranberries, peaches, tomatoes, and peppers. Native bees and honey bees both contribute to these yields. 

Native plantings and small habitat patches in yards, parks, and roadsides make a measurable difference because many pollinators are short‑ranged and depend on continuous floral resources. 

Primary threats to pollinators are habitat loss, pesticide exposure, disease and parasites, and climate change. Populations of many pollinator species have declined in recent decades, which can reduce crop yields and the availability of nutrient‑rich foods. 

What are some practical actions for New Jersey residents?

1. Plant native species that bloom from early spring through fall to provide continuous nectar and pollen. Rutgers and Jersey‑Friendly Yards offer region‑specific plant lists and planting guides. 
2. Cluster plantings and include host plants for caterpillars (e.g., milkweed for monarchs) to support both adult pollinators and larvae. 
3. Reduce or eliminate pesticide use and adopt integrated pest management; when treatment is necessary, apply at night and avoid bloom periods. 
4. Provide nesting and water resources: leave some bare ground for ground‑nesting bees, retain dead wood for cavity nesters, and offer shallow water sources. 
5. Replacing lawns with native plantings reduces mowing and chemical use but may require initial investment and maintenance. Expect some leaf or caterpillar feeding on host plants; this is normal and supports butterfly life cycles.

Jersey‑Friendly Yards provides planting guides and local tips for New Jersey homeowners. 

Rutgers Cooperative Extension offers county‑level guidance, native plant lists, and Master Gardener programs. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service New Jersey Field Office publishes recommended native plant lists for pollinators and habitat restoration guidance. 

See a list (pdf) of Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects for our Mid-Atlantic Region

Monarch Butterflies Are Now Officially Internationally Endangered

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered.” That puts it two steps away from "extinct." The United States has not listed monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act, but several environmental groups believe they should be listed. (Nonmigratory monarch butterflies in Central and South America were not designated as endangered.)

The population of monarch butterflies in North America is estimated to have declined between 22% and 72% over 10 years, depending on the measurement method. Nick Haddad, a conservation biologist at Michigan State University estimates that the population of monarch butterflies he studies in the eastern United States has declined between 85% and 95% since the 1990s.

In North America, millions of monarch butterflies undertake the longest migration of any insect species known to science. They winter in the mountains of central Mexico and then migrate north. They breed multiple generations along the way for thousands of miles stretching through New Jersey and as far north as southern Canada.

They begin the trip back to Mexico at the end of summer.

Butterflies generally are dropping their numbers because of loss of habitat, increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, and climate change.

Many Americans have been trying to do their part by planting butterfly gardens or adding plants such as milkweed, a plant that the caterpillars depend upon.

 

Will Monarch Butterflies End Up on the Endangered Species List?

On December 29th, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would be conducting a status review of the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service has reason to believe a listing may be necessary due to considerable evidence from a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Dr. Lincoln Brower. The petition stated that habitat destruction and loss of milkweed due to pesticide use are two of the most contributing factors to the declining monarch population. Other factors include disease and predation, overutilization for commercial purposes, and lack of existing conservation procedures.


Watch a monarch emerge from a chrysalis in the wild in this video by Tina Shaw/USFWS




During the summer months, the monarch can be found throughout the United States where milkweed, the species’ host plant, is plentiful. Milkweed provides nutrients to hungry caterpillars as well as space for mature females to lay their eggs. Although an adult monarch may lay up to 500 eggs in its lifetime, it has now been discovered fewer and fewer butterflies make the migration each year.

SOURCE: www.conservewildlifenj.org 

BUTTERFLY RAMBLE AT BAMBOO BROOK

BUTTERFLY RAMBLE AT BAMBOO BROOK

DATE: Sunday, September 22 

TIME: 1 - 4 p.m.

PLACE: Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center, Far Hills

DETAILS: This is a great time to see the monarch butterfly migration and late season wildflowers! This event is led by naturalist Blaine Rothauser and members from the North Jersey Butterfly Club.  The walk one of several activities taking place at the Morris County Park Commission's open house at Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center.

COST: Free

REGISTRATION: Advance registration requested but not required. To register online, go to https://donate.njconservation.org/2013-butterfly-ramble 

Butterflies of Bamboo Brook

Spicebush swallowtail butterfly - Photo by Blaine Rothauser

Butterflies of Bamboo Brook

Saturday, August 11

9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Chester Township

Join the folks as New Jersey Conservation Foundation in search of butterflies in summer meadows along Patriots' Path at the Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education Center, 170 Longview Road in Chester Township. The Butterfly Walk is free, but advance registration is appreciated.

Blaine Rothauser, conservation biologist and nature photographer, will share fun facts about the lives and habits of butterflies, and teach children and adults how to identify common species.

In the mid-1960s, New Jersey Conservation Foundation was one of the organizations that conceived the idea of creating Patriots' Path, which now traverses Morris County and connects with trails in neighboring counties.

To register on line, click here. If you have questions, please contact carol@njconservation.org or 908-234-1225.

Check out the Step Into Nature event listings at http://www.njconservation.org/njcfevents.cfm for other events.

Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardens

Want to bring some gentle and beautiful wildlife into your own backyard?

Read "Recommended Plantings to Attract Hummingbirds, Butterflies, & Moths" on the NJ Audubon site and also check out their information on backyard habitats and creating gardens to attract wildlife.

 

• Stokes Hummingbird Book : The Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Hummingbirds 
• The Secret Lives of Hummingbirds 

• Grow a Butterfly Garden
• Garden Butterflies of North America: A Gallery of Garden Butterflies & How to Attract Them 
• Creating a Butterfly Garden 
• Butterflies in the Garden 

The Incredible Journey of Monarch Butterflies

Every spring, blue skies in Michoacán, Mexico, turn orange as millions of monarch butterflies gather in the same ancient forests.

They are traveling from as far away as Maine, New Jersey, and Canada - up to 3000 miles. They weigh just a fifth of a penny. The millions of flapping wings are said to sound like falling rain.

Right now, the monarchs are leaving these forests, mating along the way.

This summer, four generations will be born and die, each living about a month before a "super generation" arrives. They will live seven months and, though they have never been to Mexico, they will somehow find their way, back to those same forests.

Watch a good video introduction to monarchs.


There are an estimated 250 million monarchs that winter in the Mexican preserve. The number is impressive, but 15 years ago, the number was nearly one billion. One problem is that the giant fir trees where monarchs huddle for warmth are being cut down.

Without cover, millions of butterflies often freeze to death. In typical years, about 15 percent will freeze, but this past winter's bad weather killed more than 50 percent.

Despite 140,000 acres being set aside by the Mexican government as a preserve for the monarch butterflies, more than 100,000 trees are cut down each year within this zone. Much of this is by residents who use the wood for fuel, building and to clear for crops.

Mexico recently lost nearly 7 percent of its forests. That is an area twice the size of New Jersey. A majority of that loss is from illegal logging.

The deforestation also destroys watersheds which can cause dangerous mudslides.




Ecolife Foundation is one organization working to replant trees and educate residents in the area by supplying them with efficient stoves to reduce their use of wood as fuel. Ecolife is pledging to plant a million new trees over the next three years.


The fall monarch butterfly migration.can be observed in New Jersey. Cape May County is a prime location to watch this phenomenon, Stone Harbor Point being an active spot.


 

Report on CBS News
Monarch and Milkweed
The Last Monarch Butterfly: Conserving the Monarch Butterfly in a Brave New World
Chasing Monarchs: Migrating with the Butterflies of Passage

For Younger Readers
The Prince of Butterflies
Monarch Butterfly (Life Cycles)
A Monarch Butterfly's Life (Nature Upclose)
Monarch Butterfly (Welcome Books)

Endangered Invertebrates: The Butterflies

An invertebrate is an animal without a vertebral column - and they probably don't get much of your interest, even if you are interested in wildlife and endangered species.

Did you know that this group includes 95% of all animal species? Yes, that is all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum Vertebrata (fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals).

A bit of science history first - the Carolus Linnaeus' Systema Naturae divided these animals into only two groups, the Insecta and the now-obsolete vermes (worms). Then, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle coined the term "invertebrate" in 1793 to describe such animals and divided the original two groups into ten, by splitting off Arachnida and Crustacea from the "insects" and Mollusca, Annelida, Cirripedia, Radiata, Coelenterata and Infusoria from the "worms." They are today classified into over 30 phyla.

On the New Jersey threatened and endangered list, there are 17 invertebrates. For this post, I am looking at the six listed butterflies.

INVERTEBRATES LIST Source: njfishandwildlife.com Click name to show fact sheet (pdf) ** indicates Federally endangered or threatened
Endangered in NJ		Threatened in NJ
Beetle, American burying	Nicrophorus mericanus**		Elfin, frosted (butterfly)	Callophrys irus
Beetle, northeastern beach tiger	Cincindela d. dorsalis**		Floater, triangle (mussel)	Alasmidonta undulata
Copper, bronze	Lycaena hyllus		Fritillary, silver-bordered (butterfly)	Bolaria selene myrina
Floater, brook (mussel)	Alasmidonta varicosa		Lampmussel, eastern (mussel)	Lampsilis radiata
Floater, green (mussel)	Lasmigona subviridis		Lampmussel, yellow (mussel)	Lampsilis cariosa
Satyr, Mitchell's (butterfly)	Neonympha m. mitchellii**		Mucket, tidewater (mussel)	Leptodea ochracea
Skipper, arogos (butterfly)	Atrytone arogos arogos		Pondmussel, eastern (mussel)	Ligumia nasuta
Skipper, Appalachian grizzled (butterfly)	Pyrgus wyandot		White, checkered (butterfly)	Pontia protodice
Wedgemussel, dwarf	Alasmidonta heterodon**

If you have an interest in butterflies, you many want to check into the North Jersey Butterfly Club which is a chapter of the North American Butterfly Association. It is a non-profit organization working to promote the public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies.

One way to get involved is in raising butterflies from your garden.

The Butterflies and Moths of North America website has maps, species accounts, checklists, and photographs of butterflies and moths (endangered or not) and includes a section on New Jersey species. For example, you can find detailed information on the Arogos Skipper.

Your Garden As Wildlife Habitat

The last official frost date for northern NJ is about a month away. But, if you have been enjoying the warmer weather and working in your garden, you should consider making your garden and backyard a wildlife habitat.

While some of us are trying to keep animals from eating our vegetables and flowers, there are still opportunities to invite garden-friendly wildlife.

The National Wildlife Federation will even let you register your yard as a certified wildlife habitat.

On the NWF website, you can find gardening resources. The information will give you information on how to attract birds and butterflies, as well as other wildlife, to your yard.

There is also gardening information and a map that shows you how to use plants that are native to your region.

You might want to check out the tutorials to build a bat house and a bee house. The idea is to create a small sustainable haven for wildlife in your neighborhood.

If you register your property with the NWF (or just want to see what others look like), check out the National Wildlife Federation’s Flickr photo group.