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Native Seed Conference
Santa Fe, New Mexico
15 April 2015
Julie McIntyre, Regional Pollinator Coordinator/Monarch Lead
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Southwest Region
Pollinators


Vital to US economy
Sustain global food
production
 Honeybee = $15 billion/yr
 Others = $9 billion/yr

Maintain environmental
health
 Control pests
 Pollinate wild plants
 Enhance biodiversity
 Stabilize, enrich soils
 Cleanse water, air
 Provide food for wildlife
Lepidoptera:
Butterflies,
Moths
Butterflies
 ~20,000 butterfly
species worldwide
 ~725 species north
of Mexico
 ~600 in lower 48;


275 Canada
 ~2000 species in
Mexico
Diurnal
Co-evolved with
plants


100+ million
years
Lay eggs on
selected plants
Butterflies
Sunloving
weeds
Types:
 Migrant
 Vagrant
Milkweed
 Resident
 Generalist
 Specialist
Stinging
nettle
Stinging
nettle, hops
New Mexico: ~320
Arizona: ~ 364
Oklahoma: ~194
Texas: ~450 species
New Mexico
penstemon
Nolina – bear
grass
Migrants
In North America
cannot survive
cold.
 7 butterflies
 5 skippers
 Long-tailed skipper
Cloudless
sulphur
Gulf
fritillary
Painted
lady
Little
yellow
 Clouded skipper
 Fiery skipper
 Sachem
Red
admiral
Common
buckeye
 Ocola skipper
American
lady
Monarch
Butterflies
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Danaus plexippus Linnaeus, 1758
Unique, roundtrip
migrations up to 3000 miles
 Longest distance for insect
migration
 “Endangered biological
phenomenon” Brower & Malcolm. 1991.

Amer. Zool. 31 (1):265-276.






Fly over 55°
Health, breeding decline
over 100°F
Up to 4 generations/cycle
Live up to 9 months
Move with nectar supply
Catch winds (up to 30mph)
Female
Male
Migration
Migration cues:



Western population = CA
pine, eucalyptus trees
Eastern population = Mexico
ovamel, conifer trees
Florida = non-migratory
Photoperiod mostly
Temperature
Host plant condition
FALL
SPRING
Overwintering
Eastern population
Mexico
Migrate along Sierra Madre
Oriental
 Northwest of Mexico City
 Michoacan State

1975 - Found by Catalina Trail
1980 - Decreed Wildlife Refuge
1986 - Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve
2008 - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Cluster together, forming
shingles
Protection from rain, wind,
creates warmth
 Warmest vertical height
 Weight prevents from
blowing away

Monarchs
declining
Monarch adult counts
from wintering areas in
Mexico
Eastern Migratory Population
Monarchs
declining
Monarch adult counts
from wintering areas
along California coast
Western Migratory Population
Threats to
monarchs

Habitat loss – land,
milkweed, nectar
sources




Agricultural/management
practices
Urban/suburban expansion
Development –
infrastructure, energy
Pesticides –
insecticides, herbicides

Weather extremes
- drought, fire, freezes

Disease – OE (protozoan
parasite/spore - Ophryocystis
elektroscirrha )

Predation
Habitat Loss
Land Area




~165 million acres lost (area
size of Texas)
Includes ~1/3 monarch
butterfly’s breeding grounds
~5000 acres/day (9 mi2) lost in
US to monarchs
2.2 million acres/year
Farming Practices
Adoption of herbicideresistant corn, soybeans



150+ million acres in recent
years (former CRP lands)
Milkweed do not survive
Located in significant summer
breeding areas
Roadsides - mowing,
herbicides
Land loss = milkweed loss
Land loss = nectar loss
North
American
Response

Feb 2014 - Mexico, US/Canada


June 2014 - Presidential
Memorandum for Pollinators


Discussed monarchs
Federal agencies tasked with
implementation
July 2014 - Secretary of Interior
and USFWS Director task DOI
with accomplishing initiatives

Strategy to be developed by High
Level Working Group

August 2014 – Petition filed
to list as Threated

Sept-Nov 2014 – R2 Monarch
Conservation Team developed
monarch strategy, actions;


Proposed activities with additional
funds with Director’s deferred $2
million
December 31 2014 =
+ 90-day finding

February – received $550,000

Proactive conservation

Funding allocation
Update on
90-day
The 60-day public
information period closed
on March 2, 2015.
 Midwest Region (R3) is lead
region.
 Work on the 12 month
finding most likely to begin
toward the end of 2016.
 Completion of the 12
month finding will be
determined by the
availability of resources
and the information
received during the public
information period.

Draft National
Goals Discussed


300 million
monarchs by 2020
to balance >90%
decline
Engagement of
diverse sectors:
Mexico, Canada, federal,
state, tribal, counties,
cities, NGOs, citizens


Involve a new
generation in
conservation
Support a range of
pollinators
Federal Agency
Monarch Actions






High Level Working Group –
continue to coordinate US
monarch strategy
NRCS – Private lands monarch
conservation; focus on milkweed
planting in central US; Farm Bill
incentives
USGS – Powell Center
demographic model to target
restoration areas; tool in April.
USFS – Posted monarch strategic
framework. Population
assessment, enhancing seed
mixes, improving pollinator
habitat, conserving 250,000 ac
habitat.
NPS – Inventoried NPS capacity,
estimates 20 monarch projects
FY15, more for FY16; will be
integrated into “pollinator
corridors”; phase out
neonicotinoid use by 2016
EPA – Re-evaluating pesticides
and impacts to pollinators
Draft Habitat Model of Priority Areas for Monarch – Eastern Population
USGS unpublished data,
Powell Study, April 2015
Preliminary Threats
Assessment
Diagram
Perceived impact on
monarch population
size vs. perceived
manageability of
addressing threat
USGS Powell Center Workshop Meeting Summary, 2014, unpublished data
National Monarch
Focal Areas
Eastern Migratory
Population



Spring breeding = TX, OK
Summer breeding = Midwest
Corn Belt
Fall nectaring = TX, OK
Western Migratory
Population


Wintering = CA coast
Breeding, nectaring = CA,
OR, WA, NV, AZ +
Southwest
Region Strategy
US Fish & Wildlife Service Regions
1 - Partnerships,
outreach, education
2 - Habitat
conservation,
enhancement, creation
3 - Seed development,
distribution
4 - Research,
monitoring
Pollinator
Needs?

Nesting Sites
 Exposed soil, arroyo
banks
 Brush, grass clumps
 Host plants

Food
 Nectar
 Pollen
 Larval food source



Overwintering Sites
Clean water
Nesting material
 Mud
 Waxy leaves

Vegetation structure
 Sunning
 Hiding, protection
 Hanging chrysalis
Photo: Leslie Ries
Photo: Leslie Ries
Eclosion - emergence
Single
eggs
~1 week
Adult 2 weeks
Adult 2-5 weeks to
9 months
Pupa/
Breeding season cycle =
25 d – 2 mo
chrysalis
1 month
Spinning chrysalis
Solitary larvae/caterpillars
2 weeks
1 – Outreach,
Education
CANADA
TOPMOP – Texas &
Oklahoma Pollinator &
Monarch Partnership





Schools, communities
Gardening information
Rural outreach
Tribes in Oklahoma
Focus on I-35 corridor
Active Partners:












Monarch Joint Venture
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
National Wildlife Federation
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
USDA’s Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS)
Oklahoma Tribes
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Cibola Nature Center
Oaks & Prairies JV
Texas Comptroller
Xerces Society
Pollinator Partnership
MEXICO
Urban Youth
21st Century Conservation
Corps for Monarchs
2 SCA positions in TX

Dallas/Ft Worth
Hagerman NWR
Tishomingo NWR

Austin
Balcones NWR
Inks Dam NFH
Education, outreach
2 - Habitat
Conserve, Create,
Restore, Manage
Spring breeding habitat,
Fall migration habitat
FY15 Restored or enhanced:



Private lands (8,687 ac; 54,194 ac in
HCPs, CBs)
FWS National Wildlife Refuge lands
(3,160 ac)
Tribal (98 ac)
Urban projects:


Gardens in 4 metropolitan areas
EPIC (Ecological Places in Cities)



urban conservation programs network
with managers and scientists across
the landscape
Sustainability, urban revitalization
Stepping stones of pollinator habitat
Rural land management:


Oaks & Prairies Joint Venture GRIP
(Grassland Restoration Incentive
Program)
PFW (Partners For Fish & Wildlife) –
many agreements
Pollinators are
opportunists
Make habitat
and pollinators
will come!
Breeding Habitat









Agricultural fields
Pastures
Prairie
Urban, suburban areas
Gardens
Trees
Roadsides, railways
Rights of way
Airports
Wintering Habitat




Access to clean water
Sunlight
Roosting vegetation
Predator-free
Monarch as
flagship species
Monarch eastern migratory
population spring breeding
habitat
Mutual benefits:
 Listed species
 Species of concern
GCP LCC Focal Species such as:
 Black-capped vireo
 Golden-cheeked warbler
 Northern bobwhite quail
 Eastern meadow lark
Monarch Spring
Breeding Area
Ideal Habitats
For Monarchs and
Grassland Birds
Ranges of Habitats – overlap with birds and monarchs
Eastern Migratory
Population

Similar habitat needs

Grassland specialists

Northern Bobwhite Quail
closest relationship

Can be compatible,
sustainable with managed
grazing, fire

Monarch conservation can
assist many species
(Giocomo 2015)
3 - Seed
Development
Maintain regional
milkweed diversity
To provide more seed:
 Harvest native milkweed
seeds – by hand
 Grow native milkweeds
 Produce seeds, plants
 Distribute to partners
(nurseries, commercial seed
companies, schools, organizations)
5 Projects funded:
1) Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center
2) NRCS PMC, TAMU
Kingsville
3) NRCS PMC, TPWD, WCDs,
TAMU, private landowners
4) NRCS PMC Oklahoma
5) Oklahoma Tribes
Primary Host
Plant =
Milkweed
Genus: Asclepias
Linnaeus 1753
Family: Apocynaceae
Asclepias = Greek God
of Healing

100+ spp in North
America
 ~50 with monarch use
Desert Southwest:
Most needed milkweed is:
 A. angustifolia, A. subulata, A.
asperula (313, M313, 321, 322)
 A. oenotheroides (321)
Texas
milkweeds

37 native
milkweed species
3 main species:
Asclepias asperula
Asclepias oenotheroides
Asclepias viridis
Goals:
1) provide alternatives to
planting non-native
milkweed species ecotypes
in grassland restoration
2) get these adapted
ecotypes, while they still
exist, into conservation
plantings.
Texas
milkweeds
Ecotypes – no
broader than Gould’s
Provide seeds who want to
grow these very specific
ecotypes that are adapted to
their area.
Oklahoma
milkweeds

OK: 25 spp
Asclepias viridis – green
milkweed
A. viridiflora – green-flowered
milkweed
A. verticillata – whorled
milkweed
A. amplexicaulis – clasping
milkweed
A. syriaca – common milkweed,
most widely available
New Mexico
milkweeds

NM: 28 spp
3 Native species selected as
most appropriate for NM
growing conditions:
A. speciosa – yielded
copious seed in 3rd growing
season;
A. latifolia – produces
many flowers, but paucity of
seed pods, even by 3rd
season;
A. asperula – produced low
vigor seedlings, had low
survival in the field.
Los Lunas PMC, NM
USDA Final Report 2015
Arizona
milkweeds

AZ: 30 spp
Elevations:
Low
A. nyctaginifolia
A. subulata
A. linaria
Mid
A. asperula
A. subverticillata
A. tuberosa
A. nyctaginifolia
High
A. speciosa
A. asperula
A. subverticillata
A. tuberosa
4 – Research,
Monitoring
Research



Best management
Milkweed responses
Best flower plantings
1) Milkweed response to different
management methods using past
plant survey data
2) BMPs to benefit monarchs,
pollinators, and other rare species
in migratory area
3) Ideal seed plantings for
ecoregions
Monitoring



Egg, larva, adult
Monarch Waystations
Citizen Science tagging,
seed collecting
Partnering
Citizen Science
Monitoring
Ongoing








Monarch tagging events on:
 National Wildlife Refuges,
State lands
Milkweed seed collecting:
 School groups, Citizen
Scientists, botanists, Master
Naturalists, FWS staff
Outdoor classroom creation:
 Schools, FWS PFW
program, Refuges
Implementing BMPs:
 Alternating burn schedules
 Reduced mowing
 Phasing out neonicotinoid
use on National Wildlife
Refuges
Providing updated information:
 Websites, social media,
outreach brochures,
 Classroom materials,
kiosks, signage
Urban gardens with:
 Community centers, citizen
groups
Inclusion of milkweed in projects
Working with partners to inform
public
Slide information courtesy of Leslie Riel, unpublished data
Spring data:
Journey North
Summer data: North American
Butterfly Association
No. Years
Slide information courtesy of Leslie Riel, unpublished data
Forthcoming
USFWS working with:








Trilateral – April 13-17
Monarch Coordinator
Detail (TX, OK) in Austin
Work with National Wildlife
Federation (MOU)
National Fish & Wildlife
Foundation – future RFPs
Multi-LCC EPIC project (R3,
R2, R6)
NRCS National Monarch
Strategy, April 20-22
Army Corps of Engineers –
developing informal
strategy for pollinators
Tribal School in Oklahoma
Open to partnerships!
Monarch
Joint Venture
Established in 2009
26 current partners
Focus is monarch
conservation in the
continental U.S.
Guided by North American
Monarch Conservation Plan
Three project areas
include:
 Habitat creation,
restoration, and
enhancement
 Education and Outreach
 Research and
Monitoring
THANK YOU!!
The preceding presentation was delivered at the
2015 National Native Seed Conference
Santa Fe, New Mexico April 13-16, 2015
This and additional presentations available at
http://nativeseed.info