september monarchs: a time of change

Sep 5

OBSERVATION DATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2027

September is a particularly interesting time for Monarch enthusiasts. Here in Virginia, we can still find eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and newly emerged adults. Many of these emerging butterflies will soon join millions of Monarchs making the extraordinary journey south to the mountains of central Mexico.

Check out this video to learn more about the unbelievable journey these tiny travelers undertake each fall.

I was lucky enough to come face-to-face with one of these amazing beauties in the BCS Pollinator Garden, just after she had emerged from her chrysalis. I found her resting on a tomato plant, quietly opening her wings to the sun for the first time.

Had she spent her caterpillar days eating the swamp milkweed growing nearby? I don't know. A Monarch caterpillar will often wander away from its milkweed before choosing a protected place to form its chrysalis. Somehow, despite walking past this particular tomato plant countless times, I had completely missed hers.

And then, one afternoon while looking for ripe tomatoes, there she was.

The garden is changing around her, too. Many of the blossoms that sparkled in July are turning to seed, while a new wave of late-season flowers is beginning to bloom. These nectar-rich flowers provide critically important fuel for Monarchs and other insects preparing for fall migration and winter.

This late summer generation of Monarchs is different from the generations we watched earlier in the year. Instead of immediately devoting their energy to reproduction, these butterflies will undertake an extraordinary migration south.

Now it’s time for you to make a connection using Practice, Inquiry, Integration, and Response…

The Practice: Notice

Find a bit of green space and engage in the practice of noticing.

Slow down. Look closely. What is different from the last time you were there? Which plants are blooming? Which have gone to seed? What insects can you find? Look above you, below you, and underneath leaves.

I would have missed my encounter with this newly emerged Monarch if I hadn't been looking closely. And yet, how many times had I overlooked her chrysalis during the weeks before? I must have passed that tomato plant a hundred times.

What might you be walking past every day?

This week's Monarch observations could become the starting point for a larger inquiry:

What does the habitat nearby provide for butterflies and other pollinators during migration?

Observers might:

Search the habitat for evidence of the Monarch life cycle.
Identify and map milkweed and late-blooming nectar plants.
Observe which flowers are attracting butterflies and other pollinators.
Record observations in nature journals or create a class phenology calendar (see THIS MONTHLY wheel and THIS DAILY wheel).
Research which native plants could provide additional fall nectar.
Consider one action you could take to improve pollinator habitat.

The Inquiry: Wonder

What do you already know about Monarchs?

Can you describe the life cycle of a butterfly to someone else? What happens inside a chrysalis? Why does a Monarch caterpillar need milkweed, while an adult Monarch visits many different kinds of flowers?

Double-check what you think you know—and discover something new—through the Monarch Joint Venture's excellent guide to the Monarch life cycle. Its photographs and descriptions make it a wonderful resource for naturalists of many ages.

Then take your questions outside. See what evidence of the Monarch life cycle you can find for yourself.

The Integration: Reflect

Nature's lessons can teach us something about ourselves as well.

Change is happening constantly in the garden. Flowers bloom and fade. Seeds form. Caterpillars grow. Seasons shift.

But metamorphosis is something more profound: transformation from one form into another.

Take a look at this video showing the remarkable transformation that takes place inside a chrysalis. It’s short, but one of my favorites.

Then consider:

Where do you see change in your own life? What does it mean to grow or transform?

The Response: Reciprocate

Once we notice and learn from the Natural World, how might we give something back?

There are many possibilities. Share something you learned with another person. Plant native milkweed or a late-season nectar plant. Leave seed heads standing for wildlife. Create a drawing, poem, or journal entry about something you noticed. Care for a patch of habitat.

Or simply go outside, pay attention, and soak it all in.