FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE FEB. 20, 2024, ISSUE OF THE HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE VOICE. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.
Butterflies - beautiful and essential
By MARY ELIADES, Voice correspondent
HSV Audubon recently welcomed member and guest speaker Sharon Prislipsky for her presentation, “Monarchs, Dianas, and other backyard butterflies.” Prislipsky spoke to a full house at the Coronado Center auditorium and illustrated her presentation with stunning photos taken by her and her husband, Vic Prislipsky.
Prislipsky dedicated her talk to Carolyn Minson, saying she was greatly influenced by the long-time Audubon member, who recently passed away. “Her backyard was just a marvel,” she said.
Prislipsky asked, “Why do we love butterflies?” and proceeded to list several reasons. In addition to the obvious – they’re beautiful – she said, “They also symbolize rebirth and transformation. They conjure images of warmth and sunshine. They represent hope and endurance.” They are also a harbinger species for conservation.
There are 157 species of butterflies in Arkansas, members of the six butterfly families: swallowtails, brush-footed butterflies, whites and sulphurs, gossamer-winged butterflies, metalmarks, and skippers. Prislipsky said butterfly populations are in decline because of habitat loss, extreme weather conditions, herbicide use, and, as can be seen in Hot Springs Village, land development.
Monarchs are one of the most recognizable and best-loved species. Prislipsky showed a map showing three main migration routes of monarchs – northward from Mexico through Texas and Oklahoma in spring and in the reverse direction in the fall. She added, “Monarchs may fly as far as 3,000 miles to reach the location where they overwinter.”
In spite of these feats of survival, “Monarchs are in trouble,” according to Prislipsky. Survival rates are “perhaps as low as five percent in the wild,” adding that 970 million monarchs have vanished since 1990 (according to The Nature Conservancy). There is hope, though: the survival rate increases “up to 80 percent when protected by humans.”
Prislipsky is a gifted photographer and has captured every stage of the monarch life cycle on film. She raises monarchs at home, and urges potential butterfly ranchers to “take the time to learn about their life cycle before you begin.”
Monarchs lay their eggs only on the young leaves of a milkweed plant in spring and summer. After four days, the eggs hatch into caterpillars; the caterpillars eat the eggshell and then begin feeding on the milkweed. After about two weeks (and five molts), the caterpillar enters the pupa or chrysalis phase by attaching itself to a “safe” place, hanging upside down (forming the letter J – sometimes called J-hanging), and eventually shedding its skin and revealing the easily recognized pale-green chrysalis. Prislipsky shared a rare video she took of a caterpillar attaching itself to a branch by spinning a “pad” to hang from.
During this stage the adult butterfly begins to form inside the pupa, eventually emerging from the now-transparent exoskeleton.
A little-known fact about monarchs is that the first generation (offspring of monarchs that overwintered in Mexico) only live two to six weeks. The lifespan of the next two generations is about the same, but the fourth generation can live nine months.
Raising monarchs is not for the lazy. Since milkweed is the host plant (although monarchs may eat nectar from other plants, they only eat milkweed leaves), a source has to be obtained, either grown from seed or transplanted, before the process can begin. The next step is to prepare a habitat (some type of ventilated container) lined with paper towels. Prislipsky said, “Be prepared to clean the enclosure on a daily basis, because the caterpillars eat constantly and generate lots of frass” (otherwise known as poop).
Once the butterfly emerges, it needs time to inflate and dry its wings and should not be touched for a few hours. Prislipsky suggested tempting the butterfly to stick around a while by putting tasty plants in the enclosure.
Another commonly seen butterfly in Hot Springs Village is the Diana fritillary (which also happens to be the state butterfly of Arkansas). Dianas are usually seen on forest margins; their host plant is violets, and they are attracted to coneflowers and lantana.
For those not ambitious enough to attempt to raise butterflies but still enjoy watching them, Prislipsky suggested planting a pollinator garden, which requires a bit of planning.
While planning a pollinator garden, gardeners need to determine sun conditions at various times of the day and year, soil conditions, and what types of plants are critter and drought resistant. Prislipsky recommends salvia, bee balm, coneflowers, and gayfeather as effective pollinator plants.
While Villagers often lament the demise of carefully landscaped (and usually non-native) plants through extreme heat or cold or hungry wildlife, Prislipsky suggested that the “tragedy” could be turned into an opportunity to incorporate native plants. Native plants are often “critter-proof” and promote biodiversity, while requiring less water and/or herbicides.
Prislipsky shared some of her favorite resources on butterflies: “Arkansas Butterflies and Moths” by Lori Spencer, The Nature Conservancy (Arkansas office: 501-663-6699), www.butterfly-conservation.org, Friends of the Earth (www.foe.org), and “Native Plant Gardening (South)” by Jaret C. Daniels.
Prislipsky recapped her presentation about why butterflies are important – they are necessary for a healthy environment; they are effective pollinators (our food supply depends on them); and birds, bats, and some animals would go hungry without butterflies. She ended her informative (and beautiful) talk with a quote from Rabindranath Tagore: “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
Next month’s Audubon program will be presented by Peter Trabant, titled “Our planet’s climate system - a history of discovery.”