It doesn’t seem possible that something as fragile-looking as a Monarch butterfly could travel from York to central Mexico. But Karen Ament, a consulting naturalist for PPL Corp., said some Monarchs might start their migration even farther north, in Canada.

“They are amazing creatures,” said Ament.

But development has reduced the number of plants needed for butterfly food and egg production.

To help counter that, Ament spent Saturday morning creating a 12-foot-by-12-foot garden of plants and flowers meant specifically to attract butterflies. The garden was sponsored by PPL, which owns the Brunner Island power plant, and was planted on the grounds of the company’s wetlands near York Haven.

Among the most important plants were varieties of milkweed, a plant on which the butterflies lay eggs and which the caterpillars eat; and plants that produce nutritious nectar, such as prairie blazing star, purple coneflower and zinnia.

In addition to providing a sanctuary for the insects, PPL’s garden will serve another purpose in September.

Ament said she will gather volunteers to help tag butterflies with a sticker that tells researchers where they came from.

The researchers are from the University of Kansas. After the Monarchs make it to Mexico, the team from Kansas will offer a reward of $1 to $5 for every tagged butterfly that can be found.

In turn, the researchers will call Ament to find out when the butterflies were in York and how they came to be tagged. In this way, they can build a better understanding of Monarch migration.

A few generations of Monarchs are born and mate during the spring and summer, according to Monarch life-cycle information at several Web sites about the butterflies.

The final generation, which emerges in late summer or early fall, does not mate right away. Those are the butter- flies that migrate to Mexico, traveling between 90 and 125 miles per day. They spend the winter there and can live for several months. In late winter or early spring, they awaken, begin their northward migration and mate to start the life cycle again.

Ament said there are many things regular people can do to help butterflies on their way. In addition to planting their own butterfly garden, they can examine their properties for opportunities to do less work.

In the process of keeping perfect lawns and manicured grounds, many people have inadvertently destroyed the vital nutrients and resting places butterflies need.

“You can do more for butterflies by doing less work with the mower,” Ament said. “That’s a good deal for man and Monarchs.”

source : www.ydr.com