VALUE OF MONARCHS: A Monarch butterfly is more than 
just a pretty face; we explain ahead on Passport to Texas. 

This is Passport to Texas

The gorgeous monarch butterfly is on the decline; efforts 
are afoot to conserve them. Yet, they're not great 
pollinators, or a significant food source for other critters, 
so is being pretty reason enough to keep them around? 

11 -- I think it's important not to deemphasize how important 
this is. If you're ever out on a Texas river in the fall, and you 
have hundreds or thousands of monarchs coming through - 
that's a fabulous natural phenomenon. 

Ben Hutchins makes a good point. He is Texas Parks and 
Wildlife's invertebrate biologist, and says the insects have 
a practical value in Mexico where they overwinter.

06 -- Overwintering monarchs are a really important source of 
economic income as tourists come from around the world to 
see them.

Conserving monarchs also benefits other Texas species.

30 -- Monarch conservation, benefits a whole suite of other 
species. So, for example, if you're managing a landscape to 
benefit monarchs, you're also going to be benefitting many 
other pollinators. They also benefit a host of larger species. For 
example, if you're managing habitat - keeping it open as a 
prairie or savannah - that's going to be benefitting upland bird 
species like quail; so there's really an economic incentive of for 
being conscious of monarchs when we're managing landscapes.

Tomorrow: a new citizen science project to help 
monarchs. 

Funding provided in part by Ram Trucks. Guts. Glory. Ram

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. 






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