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RE: Monarch butterflies, are they more uncommon?

The jury returned not too long ago, but I can't find the study right now.
It was determined that Bt corn does not affect monarch butterflies/larvae in
the field, for many reasons.  I'll see if I can find the reference.
Jay Gilliam

-----Original Message-----
From: James C. Trager [J*@mobot.org]
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 1:40 PM
To: prairie@mallorn.com
Subject: Re: Monarch butterflies, are they more uncommon?


In this area, we annually have a deep lull in monarch numbers 
afters the first flush in spring. I've always thought of it as the lag 
period in the development of the small first and larger second 
broods. We're just starting to see new ones in the past week, after 
seeing only a few straggling and well-worn oldsters over the past 
few weeks. The jury's still out on the "corn + BT toxin" chimera, but 
in any case, that would be insignificant more than a few dozen 
yards from a corn field, because of the dilution of the pollen plume.



On 4 Jul 00, at 20:02, Richard S Rhodes II wrote:

> In 2000 we first saw a monarch butterfly almost a couple of months ago
> at our 640 acre prairie restoration / reconstruction project in Iowa
> County, Iowa.  Since then, during 6 to 12 hour visits, 2 to 3 times a
> week, we have never seen more than 3 in a day.  Most often we spot
> only 1 individual; sometimes none are seen.  If memory serves (we did
> not keep records last year and haven't really this year), we saw
> *many* more monarchs at all times in the summer of 1999.  I of course
> am not counting the migration when large numbers were seen in fall
> 1999.
> 
> Is this anyone else's experience?
> 
> We wonder if the increased planting of GMO crops (esp. Bt corn, etc)
> may be contributing to this seeming decline of monarchs?  Corn is not
> yet pollinating in our area, so its pollen, if Bt added, can't yet be
> effecting this year's cohort of larvae.  Was there some other disaster
> to the south of us which has reduced the numbers of returning adults?
> 
> Sandy Rhodes
> 
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James C. Trager, Ph. D.
Shaw Arboretum
Gray Summit MO 63039
636-451-3512, FAX 636-451-5583

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