Marion County Extension 210 N. Iowa St. Knoxville, IA 50138 641.842.2014 [email protected]

April, 2015 Volume 13, Issue IV The Green Scene

Save a ! a Send tree! your email Send address toyour [email protected] email toaddress receive this publication to [email protected] via e-mail. to receive this publication via e-mail. Milkweed For Monarchs If you’re like most Iowans, monarch were part of your childhood. You may have seen them flutter in an August garden and you might have gone hunting for the caterpillars in early September. If you did, you could have harvested some milkweed and fed your caterpillar until it turned into a beautiful green chrysalis with a perfect row of gold dots. Several weeks later (if all went as planned), you might have been lucky enough to see a carefully folded black and orange behind the now-clear chrysalis. If you were really lucky, you would see the beautiful monarch emerge, dry its wings and fly away.

In recent years most of us have become aware of a decline in the numbers of monarchs we see. In North Ameri- ca we have seen dramatic decline in monarch numbers year after year. Freak weather patterns have killed millions of them, but these natural disasters are not the only challenges the butterflies face. A nationwide shortage of milkweed – their ON- LY larval food source – has many caterpillars starving. The wide- spread application of herbicides and pesticides, over millions of acres, blankets the monarch’s main migratory paths.

As many of you already know, the monarchs that come to Iowa migrate from (there are two populations; one east of the Rocky Mountains, the other one west of the mountains). A mon- arch report from Mexico is posted on www.journeynorth.org.

The monarch migration north began on Tuesday, March 24th. Dr. Chip Taylor who visited ISU last week noted that it was one of the latest starts to northern migration that he has observed. As citizen scientists across the U.S. track and enter their sightings, we should be able to follow the monarch butterflies as they head to their breeding grounds in the upper Midwest. www.journeynorth.org provides ways to track the monarch’s mi- gration through reporting spring emergence of the first milkweed , first , and the first egg. You may want to watch their progress.

You may also want to help by planting some milkweed or even creating a monarch waystation. A waystation is a small (or large) flower bed that attracts monarchs. It has milkweed , general nectar plants like Indian blanket, purple coneflower, scar- let sage, zinnia, dahlia, and more. Stop by Marion County Exten- Clusters of mon- sion for FREE seeds and more information about creating a archs in the . waystation. Or go to http://www.extension.iastate.edu/marion/ yard-gardenhorticulture.

Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. Monarchs in Mexico The monarchs return to the mountains of Mexico around All Saints’ Day (or as they celebrate it, Day of the Dead), November 1st. Historically they believe that their departed loved ones come back as butterflies and there are many religious connotations associated with their return. The tall are abies religiosa (sacred ) or in Nahuatl (Aztec), oyamel. They are native to the mountains of central and southern Mexico. Their branches are shaped like Monarch migration routes. the Cross and the trees are con- sidered to be sacred.

La Calavera Catrina ('Dapper Skeleton', 'Elegant Skull') has become an icon of the Mexican Día Oyamel fir tree in El Rosario de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. Butterfly Sanctuary, Mexico What’s Up? April 7—Shade Loving Plants; 7 PM, Mahaska County Extension Office. Delmar Voss from Sunnyslope will present. Pre-registration appreciated; call 641.673.5841.

April 11—Knoxville Federated Garden Club’s Garden Gala; 8:30-3:30, Dyer Hudson, Marion County Fair- grounds, Knoxville. Speakers include Marcia Leeper, avid gardener and retired writer for August Home Publica- tions; “Creating Balance In Your Garden” · Joe McNally, Horticulture Project Manager for the Iowa Arboretum; “Techniques for Growing Woody Ornamentals” · Lisa Orgler, Iowa State University Lecturer and Reiman Gardens' As- sistant Director; “How to Create An Out-of-the Ordinary Theme Garden.” Those who attended last year will receive registration material in late February. Others interested in attending should contact Mary Dee Dykstra ([email protected]) or Joyce Smith ([email protected]). $40 (includes lunch). Master Gardeners earn 3 CU credits.

April 18—Selecting a Perfect Tree; 10:30—Noon, Marion County Extension Office.

May 30—Make a Fairy Garden; 10:30—Noon, Marion County Extension Office.

“The Green Scene” is a tip sheet developed by the Marion County Extension Office to inform people of horticulture events, problems, and inter- esting ideas. Let us know if you want to be added to our mailing list. Recent issues are also available at www.extension.iastate.edu/marion/. This material has been prepared by Karen Ackley, Agriculture Program Assistant. If you have questions, please contact the office at (641) 842-2014. Sincerely, Dale R. Miller, County Extension Program Director