

2023-2024 Overwintering population declined another 59% since last year. This year’s eastern monarch population occupied only 0.9 hectares (2.2 acres) at their overwintering site. This is the second lowest number counted since monarch populations began being monitored more than 30 years ago – the lowest was 0.67 ha during the 2013–2014 overwintering season.
View World Wildlife Fund’s official article here.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Sept. 20, 2022 – Pollinators play a critical role in the production of most fruits and vegetables, and a great way to support them is by planting native plants. Bayer is helping the cause by giving away free native-plant seed packets through a new partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
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Species Spotlight - "Pipevine Swallowtail"![]()
Habitat
• Pipevine swallowtails habitat is diverse, from woodlands, forests, open fields, roadsides, and streamsides.![]()
Host Plant
• The Pipevine Swallowtail is named for its host plant, the pipevine (Aristolochia spp.), which is toxic to its predators, but not its larvae.![]()
• A native host plant species found in Missouri is Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia tomentosa). ![]()
Life Cycle
• Pipevine Swallowtails lay their eggs on the stems or leaves of the pipevine plant.![]()
• Larvae ingest the toxic chemicals of its host plant which acta as a defense against predators.![]()
• They over-winter in their chrysalis, emerging the following spring when the temperature warms, signaling the air is warm enough for their flight muscles to work.![]()
Bonus Fact
• Four butterflies in Missouri use “mimicry” of the Pipevine Swallowtail as a defense mechanism: Red-Spotted Purple, Black Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, and the dark form of the (female) Tiger Swallowtail. These butterflies are not toxic to predators, but based on appearance, the predators assume they are.