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    Ben March 28, 2019 Mrs. Jackson Writing Assignment I3

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    Ben T.U.G.
    The monarchs are going downhill, as their population decreases dramatically. We need to change this by planting more milkweed.

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    Ben March 28, 2019 Mrs. Jackson Writing Assignment I3

    Uploaded by

    Ben T.U.G.
    41 views3 pages
    The monarchs are going downhill, as their population decreases dramatically. We need to change this by planting more milkweed.

    Original Title

    Save The Monarch Butterflies

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    The monarchs are going downhill, as their population decreases dramatically. We need to change this by planting more milkweed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    41 views3 pages

    Ben March 28, 2019 Mrs. Jackson Writing Assignment I3

    Uploaded by

    Ben T.U.G.
    The monarchs are going downhill, as their population decreases dramatically. We need to change this by planting more milkweed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Ben

    March 28, 2019

    Mrs. Jackson

    Writing Assignment I3

    Monarch butterflies are majestic and gorgeous. They have beautiful bright red-

    orange on their wings with streaks of black, making a beautiful unique pattern. But

    sadly, pesticides and loss of habitat have been a major problem for these butterflies.

    This has to be changed. The population of these butterflies has been declining quickly,

    and we have to take action as soon as possible. There is no way these butterflies will

    survive for long if we don’t help quickly.

    The main reason this is happening is because of the loss of milkweed. Milkweed

    is the only plant female monarch butterflies lay eggs on; they will not lay eggs on any

    other plant. The monarch caterpillar only eats milkweed; it will die if milkweed is not

    around. This means that if there is no milkweed, there are no monarchs, and the

    population of these butterflies will vanish. Milkweed is vital for monarchs. The milkweed

    population is declining, and we have to plant it back. If we don’t help, the monarch

    butterflies will be extinct. This means that we need to protect the milkweed as much as

    possible, and grow more.

    Milkweed is vanishing mostly because of pesticides and construction. Milkweed

    is not a hardy plant, so pesticides can kill milkweed easily. But we can make this

    happen less often if we don’t use pesticides. Construction is another major problem to

    milkweed. Every time a house is built, all the plants in the house’s way have to be

    removed, which can destroy lots of milkweed. This can possibly destroy the butterfly
    eggs already existing on it. Construction can wipe out a whole field of milkweed in a

    matter of days! Milkweed is also being destroyed by drought. As many areas like Texas

    and California continue to have lack of water, milkweed in those regions slowly dies

    out. The milkweed’s rarity is increasing every single day, and we have to plant it back in

    order for the monarchs to thrive again.

    Every year, the monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico

    and some parts of Southern California where it is warm all year long. But sadly, the

    monarch butterfly population in California has plummeted 86% in only one year. This is

    a dramatic change. There is less than a fourth of the population left! Droughts,

    pesticides, and loss of habitat are reasons for the Western monarch's decline.

    We need to take action or else the monarch will vanish. Milkweed is the key. If

    we plant more milkweed, the monarch butterflies will be able to find milkweed easier to

    lay eggs on them. A field of milkweed could help hundreds of thousands of monarchs

    come to life. Monarch butterflies almost live everywhere in the United States, including

    Mexico, and most of South America, which means that growing milkweed always helps

    the monarchs in these areas.

    Making caterpillar habitats indoors and caring for the eggs or caterpillars from

    egg to butterfly is also helpful, as some caterpillars can’t completely make it to the

    butterfly stage because of many dangers which includes caterpillars be knocked off

    milkweed by wind, predators like birds, and other dangers. You raise caterpillars by

    finding eggs or caterpillars from existing milkweed, and caring for them by taking
    leaves of milkweed and providing it to the caterpillar daily. If you find an egg, make sure

    to not disturb it, and wait for it to hatch. You can disturb the egg if you pick the egg off

    of the milkweed, so make sure to only cut the portion of the leaf with the egg on it.

    Make sure the caterpillar always has milkweed to eat.

    When making a monarch caterpillar habitat, it is important to have a hanging

    object for the caterpillar to form its chrysalis. Once the monarch butterfly comes out of

    the chrysalis, make sure to let it dry itself by flapping its wings. Then you can release

    the butterfly.

    Remember: the monarch butterfly population is dropping drastically, and you

    can make a difference. Every milkweed counts. Pesticides, construction, and drought

    are making milkweed much more scarce, making it hard for monarchs to find. We can

    make the monarchs thrive again but there is only a short amount of time. We need to

    take action as soon as possible by planting more milkweed and raising caterpillars. If

    we don’t help, we could lose the monarch butterflies, and there will never be in sight

    ever again.

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