The Problem
Our wish for our Monarch Raising and Tagging project at Riverfield Country Day School is to create butterfly gardens on our campus. Students will plant native, pollinating/nectar, and milkweed plants that will help the Monarch butterfly survive on its migration from Canada to Mexico. Since Monarch butterflies migrate through Oklahoma, our students want to make sure they have enough milkweed and nectar plants to survive their laying of eggs, food for caterpillars, and energy to fly to Mexico. Monarchs are a very important part of our ecosystem. They are great pollinators and are very beautiful animals. Monarchs are in trouble because their habitats are being destroyed by herbicides, pesticides, and humans. Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch caterpillars will eat. This plant is important because it provides the caterpillars food, shelter, and toxins that protect them from predators. The Riverfield Roots & Shoots students raised monarch caterpillars in the science lab. This was the first year that we raised our own monarchs from our campus milkweed from our Monarch WayStation gardens. We are also a founding member of the Monarch Initiative of Tulsa.
