Help seed a new home for monarch butterflies in Zilker Park
A new Monarch Meadow will be planted in fall, then awaits pollinators in spring
This article originally appeared at https://www.statesman.com/entertainment/things-to-do/article/austin-texas-monarch-butter-22423636.php.
Make ready for the monarchs. The butterflies, with flame-orange wings lined with black veins and borders spotted daintily in white, will begin passing through Central Texas gardens in late September.
Soon, Zilker Park will add its first "Monarch Meadow," an acre of parkland set aside for plants that attract the migrating butterflies.
The plot near Barton Hills Drive, south of Barton Springs Pool, will be planted with monarch-friendly wildflowers this fall in anticipation of creating a mature meadow with nectar and a place for butterflies to lay their eggs by spring. Environmental consultants at the Siglo Group will do the planting in partnership with the city of Austin and Zilker 351, the nonprofit dedicated to preserving and improving Zilker Park.
"Zilker Park sits at the intersection of some of the most sensitive ecology in Texas: the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, Barton Springs and the Central Flyway, where monarchs travel northward every spring in search of the native wildflowers they depend on to survive," says Fleetwood Jacobs, executive director of Zilker 351. "Restoring these meadows reconnects a living system that supports endangered species, filters our water, and reminds every person who walks through this park just how magical Zilker really is."
When will monarch butterflies arrive in Texas?
Each fall, monarchs migrate along two main North American pathways. One heads west toward the Pacific Coast states. The east route funnels butterflies from all over eastern Canada and the U.S. through Texas.
The southbound fall migration reaches Texas from late September through early November. The northbound spring journey takes the butterflies through Texas from March through June.
They winter among the mountainous oyamel fir forests in Michoacán, Mexico. On the return journey, they mate and lay eggs, chiefly on milkweed. From time to time, controversy bubbles up over whether to plant native or tropical milkweed. A near-consensus among experts recommends the native variety for several reasons.
As for the Monarch Meadow, the wildflowers are not only important for pollinators, they can absorb and filter polluted road runoff. In theory at least, the meadow can help keep runoff from entering Barton Springs. Nearby, rise two tree mottes that Zilker 351 planted in March with 140 trees. The motts and the meadow are meant to combine to keep the spring pristine.
On Nov. 1, Zilker 351 will host a Monarch Party in Zilker Park to celebrate the newly seeded field.
"This free and family-friendly event is intended to teach our next generation of conservationists why both wildflowers and butterflies are an important part of our ecosystem," reads the nonprofit's September newsletter. "At the event, kids will roll seed balls and throw them into the meadow, parade through the park in a butterfly conga line, and more. Every seed ball thrown that day will contribute to next season's bloom, meaning your kids will make a real difference."