Thanks, guys! It is certainly a good January here for us.
I'm friends with Monarch Watch on Facebook and they've been updating everyone on the Feds possibly listing the Monarch as endangered. I know it was discussed a few months ago and some people were concerned this may limit hobbyists like us, or perhaps even schools, from raising the caterpillars. Endangered species generally have so many protections and a big one is generally that you can't touch or interfere with them. But some of the recent stuff I've read seems to sound like they just want to fine you if you kill one intentionally or harm their habitat, perhaps. I've seen the timeline for how long it takes to get something approved as endangered and we're looking at probably 2017, folks. So continue the good work for now and encourage all your friends to plant native milkweeds! Seriously, I've met people from the Midwest at the museum and I'm like, "You have to plant milkweed to counter all the corn and soybeans!" But most people I talk to are aware of the monoculture problem and lots of people do grow milkweed. Every little bit helps.
MOSI showed the IMAX film "Flight of the Butterflies" about a year ago. Mom and I went to see it. I have to be careful because MOSI has an IMAX dome which is way more intense than a regular IMAX screen and I get motion sick. But I did okay through this one. So the movie really talks about the Monarch migration and there's a part where it shows this Monarch flying somewhere in Texas and it talks about how she can only lay eggs on milkweed. And she keeps flying and it's looking hopeless and then - there's a backyard garden with milkweed! And she lays the eggs! Mom and I were totally tearing up. Not that it takes much to get me to cry, but I was like, "Yeah, butterfly!"
