Monarch butterflies recovering, says Sudbury entomologist and you might be helping

A retired entomologist from Laurentian University is crediting efforts large and smallin the recovery of theworld's best-known butterfly.

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Monarch butterflieshave just left Mexico for their long trip north, and Dr. JoeShorthousesaid after years of hardship due to the control ofmilkweedby herbicides, among other things it seems the orange and black beauties are bouncing back.

Shorthouse said the fact that North American governments were paying attention to certain habitat protectionmade an immeasurable difference.

Monarchs from Canada and the USspend three to fourmonths over-winteringon select Mexican mountaintops before migrating north again.

Without those forests, "that would eliminate monarchs for all of North America,"Shorthousesaid.

"ButMexico, along with the governments of United States and Canada, recognized how important those forests were," he said.

"And the Mexicans in particular have turned them into protected sites, such that no further lumber or tree removal is occurring, thus protecting theover-wintering monarch population."

Countless other helping hands seem to be sowing the seeds for the monarch recovery, as well,Shorthouse noted.

Many people have been planting milkweed to help revive the Monarch butterfly population.The leaves of the milkweed plant are the only place that monarchs lay their eggs and the only food that monarch butterfly caterpillars will eat.

"There's no question that that's a key factor," he said. "School children, nature groups, citizen groups throughout North America have become enthralled by this monarch story, and the fear of losing them from our lives."

Listen to the complete interview with Dr. Joe Shorthouse here.

Morning North6:30Monarch butterflies bounce back, partially thanks to Northern Ontario.

Dr. Joe Shorthouse, a retired entomologist from Laurentian University, spoke to Radio-Canada's Isaac Gauthier about these iconic insects, who have just left Mexico on their long trip north.