National Start Seeing Monarchs Day
National Start Seeing Monarchs Day:
The National Start Seeing Monarchs Day is set on the first Saturday of May every year as part of the efforts for raising awareness about the need to preserve the Monarch butterfly to keep the insect from adding to the list of extinct species.
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2023 | 6th May | Saturday | United States |
2023 | 4th May | Saturday | United States |
2025 | 3rd May | Saturday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#NationalStartSeeingMonarchsDay
#StartSeeingMonarchsDay
Related: Other National Days Celebrated on May:
National Military Spouse Appreciation Day
Why National Start Seeing Monarchs Day?
The National Start Seeing Monarchs Day is special for all insect enthusiasts and biologists who love studying insects. It is designed specifically to raise awareness for the preservation of the Monarch butterfly. It also ensures that this very rare insect does not add to the list of the species that have long been running extinct.
The Monarch butterfly, otherwise referred to as the milkweed butterfly is a famous insect common in the Northern parts of America. It is famous for the orange and black patterns on its wings and that they normally grow to sizes of between 3.5 to 4 inches. Monarch butterflies migrate towards the south when climates are warm and back to the north during the spring season.
The Monarch butterfly has a preferred habitat in prairies, meadows, grasslands, and along the roadside. They are also a common fly to find around Nebraska around June. The female ones lay almost 400 eggs and deposit them on the lower side of milkweed leaves. These eggs then hatch into caterpillars in a matter of three days if the weather is convenient.
The main feed for caterpillars is milkweed for two weeks, which makes them a poisonous food for birds during this time. After the caterpillar stage, they grow to form cocoons before undergoing metamorphosis to become adult butterflies in a matter of 12 to 14 days.
How we can observe National Start Seeing Monarchs Day:
There are multiple ways through which people observe or celebrate National Start Seeing Monarchs Day. Among these approaches include:
- Post on social media
The first and most basic way to observe this remarkable day is by posting on social media using the handle #NationalStartSeeingMonarchsDay and then sharing it across your social media following. This would go a very long way in ensuring that people from different parts of the world bring their attention to this amazing day. They, too, can join in to celebrate, appreciate, and help preserve this remarkable butterfly.
- Planting milkweed
You can also observe this amazing day and help preserve this endangered species by planting milkweed in your backyard. This will attract the monarch butterflies because the native seaweeds are an attractive avenue for them to pollinate. In the absence of milkweed, it would be easy for these remarkable insects to go extinct. This is because seaweeds form their basic food at an early stage in the lives of this butterfly species, therefore crucial for their survival.
- Creating a safe environment for them
Another way to observe this amazing species would be to make the environment as safe as possible, particularly in the season where they are known to appear. To do this, you can avoid using herbicides, pesticides, and even genetically modified plants that affect the meals of this amazing insect. You can also spread this caution to the other low and large-scale farmers around you so that all of you can join hands in the efforts to preserve this amazing but endangered species before it is too late.
Interesting facts about National Start Seeing Monarchs Day:
There are so many interesting facts about this day. Among these include:
- The breeding season of the monarch butterfly starts in spring.
- Most flowering plants, particularly the native ones, are wonderful sources of nectar for monarch butterflies.
- The butterflies range between 3-4 inches in size.
- Monarch butterflies will always migrate to places where the climate is warmer during fall and return again in the spring.
- Monarch butterflies can travel up to 250 miles in a single day.
- Since the last two decades, the population of monarch butterflies has been on a sharp decline.
- The milkweed plant is necessary for the survival of the monarch butterfly.
- Milkweed is a perennial flowering plant that feeds the monarch butterfly during the early stages of its life by providing nectar and is the only plant where a monarch will lay its eggs.
History of National Start Seeing Monarchs Day:
The history of this amazing day goes back to 2015, during April when this day was officially declared a day for commemoration.