Monach Butterfly migration

Pictures from the Monarch Butterfly Website. and Wikipedia


I read an article in DH's newspaper this morning that was full of amazing information. All summer we look for Monarch butterflies, their eggs, and caterpillars on the Milkweed they are dependent on. The migration that occurs every fall has always amazed us and now scientists have discovered a molecular basis for their navigation, and that that they have a "clock" in their brains that allows them to use the sun to navigate. Greg Watson writes of this discovery in his Bog 12 Degrees of Freedom. Both of these links provide such good write ups that I will not try to repeat what has been done before.

Nature never ceases to amaze me. I see God's hand in the amazing complexity and beauty of The Creation. And when we alter the Creation we often create unforeseen effects. I guess it should not be a surprise. But we humans are not very good at remembering just how complex the interconnectedness of nature is.

While doing a search for articles on the "clock" in the the Monarch's brain, I found a disturbing article on a study by Cornell University, that indicated pollen from a popular commercial variety of genetically engineered corn called Bt is toxic to Monarchs. The Monarch caterpillars are feeding about the time that the corn is spreading pollen and dusting the milkweed leaves on which the Monarch larvae are feeding. However the reports of toxicity may be exaggerated according to researchers at University of Guelph , and the Iowa State University Agricultural Extesion

"What is the bottom line?

The monarch and Bt pollen research that has been conducted is still preliminary, but it does indicate that the caterpillars may be impacted by Bt pollen. More research needs to be conducted on the effects of Bt corn on monarchs and possibly other nontarget species. Bt corn has proven to be a valuable pest management option for the corn producer. It provides nearly 100 percent control of the European corn borer, which protects the crop from a yield loss and helps reduce insecticide use."

Iowa State University - Integrated Crop Management June 14, 1999

Lord give us wisdom to use Your gifts of knowledge as we husband Your creation.