Read the Winter 2024 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter. We have a new format we hope you’ll enjoy. In this edition, we review our Annual Conference and announce a new trail partner.
Category: Newsletter
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2023
Read the November 2023 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter. This edition is all about our upcoming Annual Wildlife Conference! We have speaker info, silent auction items, and details on the agenda for the day.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2023
Read the August 2023 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter. The Monarch Tagging Season is almost here! Dan has important legislative updates in his Letter from the ED. We have speakers for our upcoming Annual Conference and we’re very excited about what they have to share.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2023
Read the May 2023 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter. We talk about the progress of our trail at Glacier’s End and we have a very important legislative update for everyone who cares about Indiana conservation!
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2023
Read the February 2023 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter. We talk about the grand opening of our trail at Goose Pond, FWA and officially announce our plant sale for 2023!
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2022
Read the November 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2022
Read the August 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2022
Read the May 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2022
Read the February 2022 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2021
Read the November 2021 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2021
Read the August 2021 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Monarchs have a friend in Indiana
Monarchs have a friend in Indiana
Story and photos by Abbie Gressley, Indiana Wildlife Federation 2021 Summer Habitat Intern
When Amanda Goble first started raising monarch butterflies three years ago, she only knew there weren’t many in her area. Little did she know the process she loves so much would soon be making a larger impact on the monarch population.
“I realize it is a small part to help, but any small thing could make a big impact eventually,” says the 46-year-old from Marion, Indiana.
The eastern migratory population of monarch butterflies decreased by 84% between the winters of 1996–1997 and 2014–2015, and the much smaller western monarch population has declined 74% since the late 1990s, according to the Indiana Monarch Conservation Plan (IMCP).
The IMCP was influenced by those interested in monarch butterfly conservation and habitat restoration in an attempt to reverse the population decline of North American monarchs.
Goble says they had almost lost monarchs in the area due to chemical spraying for bugs on crops and people using them at their own homes without the pollinators. So, she planted milkweed seeds for the monarchs to lay eggs on and had her husband build screened in cages to protect the caterpillars and cocoons from other bugs.
“I have an abundance of praying mantis in my yard, and they will eat them, so this gives them a safe place to stay in hopes that they will make it to butterflies,” she says.
Goble starts her process in the spring to make sure the milkweed is growing and plant more if needed. In July, the monarchs start showing up for nectar and begin laying eggs on the plants. She then watches for caterpillars and takes them to the cages to finish growing. It takes about fourteen to twenty days for them to eat before creating a J with their bodies and forming a cocoon. The cocoon will hatch within seven to nine days.
“Finding the caterpillars and letting the butterflies go is about all the hands-on work you need to do, the rest they do on their own,” Goble says. “I try not to interfere with their process too much.”
Goble says she loves the whole process and only wishes to help them grow to adulthood.
“I think it’s fascinating how an egg the size of a pinhead can grow to a caterpillar then change into a butterfly out of a small cocoon,” she says. “Watching them fly away is my favorite part; I say goodbye to each one and wish them well on their journey.”
According to the IMCP, Indiana, along with other Midwestern states, comprises a particularly important portion of the range of the eastern population of monarch butterflies, supplying much of the breeding and migrating habitat that produces the migratory generation of the eastern monarch population.
Goble is one of many in Indiana playing a small role for a much bigger cause for these butterflies.
“I just let the butterflies fly away in hopes that they will live to make new caterpillars and butterflies,” she says. “I hope to continue to give the butterflies a chance to survive and keep coming back to our area.”
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2021
Read the May 2021 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2021
Read the February 2021 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2020
Read the November 2020 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2020
Read the August 2020 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2020
Read the May 2020 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2020
Read the February 2020 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2019
Read the November 2019 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2019
Read the August 2019 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2019
Read the May 2019 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2019
Read the February 2019 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2018
Read the November 2018 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2018
Read the August 2018 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2018
Read the May 2018 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2018
Read the February 2018 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2017
Read the November 2017 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2017
Read the August 2017 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2017
Read the May 2017 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2017
Read the February 2017 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
2016 Annual Report
Read the 2016 edition of the IWF Annual Report.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2016
Read the November 2016 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2016
Read the August 2016 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2016
Read the May 2016 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2016
Read the February 2016 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
2015 Annual Report
Read the 2015 edition of the IWF Annual Report.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2015
Read the November 2015 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2015
Read the August 2015 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | May 2015
Read the May 2015 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | February 2015
Read the February 2015 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2014
Read the November 2014 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | November 2014
Read the November 2014 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2014
Read the August 2014 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | August 2014
Read the August 2014 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | June 2014
Read the June 2014 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.
Hoosier Conservation Newsletter | December 2013
Read the December 2013 edition of the IWF Hoosier Conservation Newsletter.