FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Book
Ready for the Monarch Butterfly Migration
“A
favorite scenic road of the eastern United States
So says
the back cover of the newly released book, A Pictorial Guide to the Monarch Butterfly
Migration over the Southernmost Blue Ridge Parkway by local hobby
beekeeper and entomologist, Mickey Hunt.
This
small book—a mere 37 pages—is timely because the monarch’s southward migration
to Mexico is poised to begin, peaking in the Balsam Range south of Asheville
toward the end of September. Biologists and amateur monarch watchers all over
the country are wondering if the numbers of the butterflies overwintering in Mexico ’s Trans-Volcanic Mountains
“The
known high point of the total monarch population
in about a dozen sites in Mexico
One
hectare is 2.47 acres. According to the World Wildlife Fund, whose volunteers
do the estimating in the mountainous monarch wintering areas, the hectares
occupied by the butterflies increased to 4.01 from that lowest point and then
dropped to 2.91 last winter.
“But
everyone who is paying attention is optimistic,” said Hunt. “We believe our
conservation efforts are making a difference. I’ve seen monarch larvae in my
milkweed garden all summer long and I’ve raised some of them in my bay window.
It’s been a joy seeing the released males patrolling for girlfriends to create
another generation.”
Hunt’s
monarch migration guide contains dozens of his often close-up photographs of
the varied stages of the monarch life cycle, a bar graph showing the monarch
population changes, and a migration route map, as well as information about
where to buy milkweed seeds and plants, the exclusive food for monarch larvae
in North America . There is a section on where
to learn more, including some of the best organizations that focus on education
and conservation, and monarch educational events in western North Carolina
One of
those events is the Cradle of Forestry’s “Bring Back the Monarchs” program on
Sunday, September 17. Another is the North Carolina Arboretum’s annual
Monarch Day, to be held this year on Saturday, September 23.
“I’ve
been invited to be a part of the Monarch Day,” said Hunt. “No one really needs
this little book, but it might be helpful in giving the wider ecological
context. It’s great for younger students. In a nutshell, I’ll just tell people
at the arboretum to drive up to Cherry Cove View or the Caney Fork Overlook on
the Blue Ridge Parkway as quick as they can.
Watching the migrating monarchs is an amazing aesthetic experience. It’s a
window to a natural, global force expressed by a small and beautiful creature.
It’s possible to understand an issue in the abstract, but actually seeing the
monarchs gliding overhead, or clustering on goldenrod and aster is what shows
you their value.”
A Pictorial Guide to the Monarch
Butterfly Migration over the Southernmost Blue Ridge Parkway is available now on Amazon.com
and Create Space, and will soon be in some of the independent bookstores and
garden centers in the Asheville
Mickey Hunt has been exploring along the
southern Blue Ridge Parkway with his family
for 30+ years. He lives in east Asheville
Contact
Hunt:
828-575-7300
Image © Mickey Hunt
[Note:
High quality photos of monarchs on the BRP are available to accompany this
story.]
[For
wholesale orders, a direct link to the book’s Create Space page: www.createspace.com/7121800.]
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