by Cheri Burcham

Anyone that knows me knows that I am passionate about trying to save the monarch butterfly. Their population continues to decline and some of the reasons are preventable. One of them is mowing. I have shared this article before (maybe more than once) and would like to share it again. This article was written by Illinois Extension Educator Christopher Enroth and is so very important in monarch conservation. Christopher says: There is something about mowing that is so satisfying. What is it? The smell of cut grass? Taming an unruly landscape? To me, it is measurable progress. It seems so often that modern jobs give few tangible results. So much of our work is in the digital ether. After a full day’s work, I leave the office switching off my computer, and all my toiling vanishes with the click of a mouse. At home, I seek tasks of visual permanence by working with my hands, cleaning, and of course mowing. The desire to mow often expands beyond the yard as many landowners also mow road banks and ditches. However, the constant routine of mowing is harming the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat. Milkweed loss is one of the major causes of declining monarch populations. 

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