Students at Libertyville High School have been raising Monarch butterflies in an effort to help support the migrating population, as the species starts its journey from Northern Illinois to Mexico.
The process, involving 70 butterflies, included raising them from the egg stage to tagging them with a unique number when they are fully grown. The students then release them in the school’s native plant courtyard and the insects begin their journey to the mountaintops of central Mexico — which in some cases can be more than 3,000 miles.
Advance Placement environmental science teacher Jennifer Kahn, who is also heading the project, said much is still unknown about these creatures. Tagging them helps those studying the butterflies and their migration patterns gain more information, she said.
“There’s a lot we don’t know about migration,” Kahn said. “How do these tiny little pieces of tissue paper make it all the way from sometimes the Canadian border to Mexico? We don’t really know.”
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Currently, migration has already started, with more wild Monarchs expected to pass through the area in the coming weeks. In her class Sept. 30, Kahn said it was important to support the species, as the Monarch’s population has declined by 85% in recent decades.
However, even with shrinking numbers, Kahn said it’s unlikely the species will be put on the endangered list for several more years. It has been proposed, but the approval process will take about three more years before a decision is made, she said.
In that time, there is concern the western population of migrating Monarch butterflies will be lost through a process called extirpation, or local extinction, Kahn said.
“We’ll lose a lot of Monarchs in those three years before we even get a decision about whether to list them as endangered or not,” Kahn said.
The class project started at the beginning of September. Students went out and looked for the Monarch butterfly eggs in the wild. They were then brought in and raised in the classroom. In the wild, 9 in 10 Monarchs don’t live to be fully grown due to predators and shrinking habitats. In total, about 5% will survive to the final molting stage, Kahn said.
However, of those eggs brought into the classroom, only one was lost, which was a butterfly they named Gretchen.
“Bringing them inside helps to ensure their chances of survival,” Kahn explained.
Kahn noted, thought, that bringing the insect eggs inside does have its disadvantages. In cooler temperatures, the Monarchs take longer to go through their molting cycles. Kahn said this was a bit of an issue since it pushes back the butterflies beginning their migration journey. The delay lowers the chance for more favorable weather conditions along the way, she said.
After finishing the five molting phases, the caterpillar that forms begins what is called a “J-hang,” where it climbs upside down and hangs in the shape of a “J.” It forms a chrysalis around itself, which becomes more transparent over time, Kahn said.
Kahn said once the insects begin emerging from their chrysalis, the process takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. Once the newly-formed butterflies are out, their wings are crumpled. To inflate their wings, the butterflies pump fluid through them.
In a year, Monarch butterflies will go through four generations, with the first three having the life span of about one month. The final generation, which is the one that migrates, will live for nine months as it travels thousands of miles to Mexico, then make its way back to the northern part of North American continent. Along the way back, the butterflies mate and lay eggs, Kahn said.
” (The last generation) is physiologically different, they’re bigger,” Kahn said.
The project has become a draw for students during their passing periods, with some stepping into the classroom to check the status of the Monarchs. Kahn said some of the kids who come in aren’t part of her class, but they check in every day.
Kahn said typically, her class looks for local issues that they are able to study and report back to Libertyville officials. In addition, the projects also provide a way for students to see many components of ecology, as part of course work. In this case with the butterflies, the class is working with Monarch Watch, a nonprofit program that focuses on education, conservation and research of Monarch butterflies. The program is based at the University of Kansas, according to the program’s website. Monarch Watch is providing the tags for the butterflies.
“We try to look for activities that involve students and citizen science,” Kahn said. “It’s fun to walk in and see the progression.”
Naming the Monarchs is also something all the students participated in. Some of the names included Parker, Willy, Surge, Oopsie, Cheese and Pony.
Ella Kozlowski, who was one of the five students who released a butterfly that Thursday, also has been involved in the project in multiple other ways. When Gretchen died, she helped look at the butterfly under a microscope to see if it had any potential diseases that could spread to the others. She also has helped move and tag the butterflies, Kozlowski said.
“Ella has probably done the most,” said LHS student Kat Fosmoen, who also helped release a butterfly. “She’s the MVP.”
Megan Snow said, in her opinion, the most interesting part of the Monarchs is how they all migrate to the same place.
“They all go to this same forest, how does it even work?” she said. “Like, they all have it programmed in them to go there.”
As for those interested in helping the Monarch butterfly population, Kahn suggests planting milkweed, which she said provides a vital source of nectar for the butterflies. Personally, she said. she plants common milkweed and swamp milkweed. Others include prairie milkweed and whorled milkweed.
“We need to plant milkweed and the right kind of milkweed that’s native to Illinois,” she said. “Knowing what to plant is important too.”
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