Update:
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This project report concludes Year 1 of a three-year project, so final project results are not available at this time. All data collected in the field is being documented electronically. Preliminary analysis will begin in the near future. We do have some preliminary data available at this time. All seven sites were monitored three times (June, July, August) during the 2016 field season.
• At least 9 milkweed plants were present at every site for every sampling event. Most sites had at least 20 milkweed plants present.
• 393 separate inspections of milkweed plants were completed. A total of 6 monarch eggs and 1 monarch caterpillar were found.
• Across all sites and sampling events, a total of 11 adult monarch butterflies were observed.
Despite the unavailability of final project results, our team has gained a great deal of practical knowledge regarding the process of establishing monarch habitat at bioreactors. The remainder of this section will discuss practicalities of habitat establishment.
Establishing monarch habitat over bioreactors which are currently enrolled in CRP is a slow and arduous process. In order to establish monarch habitat in existing CRP, permission must be obtained from the state USDA-FSA office as well as the county NRCS office. These agencies will likely require aerial photos of the site, the exact seed mix to be used, a written letter from the landowner, and an exhaustive listing of all field operations to be performed. Each specific field operation such as spraying herbicides, mowing, planting, the seed mix to be planted, and the site of planting will have to be approved by the local NRCS County Committee. In the first growing season monarch habitat should be mowed approximately every 3 weeks. Mowing CRP is not allowed during nesting season (May 15 – August 1) so special permission must be granted by the local NRCS and state FSA in order to mow the monarch habitat during the first and second growing season. Local NRCS and state FSA may require an individual to request permission for every single mowing event. Alternatively, the local NRCS and state FSA may grant special permission for all mowing. Converting existing CRP vegetation to monarch habitat has only been allowed since 2016 so it is a very new process. Expect the process to require an extended period of time and effort in order to receive approval.
Purchasing quality monarch habitat seed is not a simple process. In order to obtain the desired seed species at a reasonable price, it is generally best to buy prairie seed following harvest, when seed supply is high. Most likely this will be in January – February. The buyer should ensure the supplier is selling seed which is locally adapted, is free of Palmer amaranth seed (a.k.a. Palmer pigweed), and has been tested by a reputable seed lab. Note that Palmer amaranth is not a noxious weed in Iowa so it is in the buyer’s best interest to have a thoughtful discussion with one or more native seed suppliers regarding seed sources, seed cleaning protocols, etc.
Different approaches are necessary to manage the existing vegetation over a bioreactor. Five of seven of our locations were dominated by two cool season grasses; smooth bromegrass or reed canary grass. If cool season grasses dominate a site they must be mowed and baled or raked off the plot area. If the vegetation is not baled or raked off, it will be very difficult to achieve good seed to soil contact when planting and limited light will reach the soil surface, decreasing germination of the habitat plants. If cool season grasses are mowed 3-4 times each year, baling or raking may not be necessary as long as a layer of residue does not build up over the soil surface. Cool season grasses should be terminated with glyphosate. Glyphosate is far more effective on smaller plants so mowing the grass before spraying is preferred. Glyphosate is most effective on cool season grasses when it is sprayed it in the fall. If prairie plants are already present, as they were at two of seven sites, a grass selective herbicide can be sprayed, followed by a glyphosate application after the prairie plants are senesced and the cool season grasses are still active.
Habitat plants should be planted no deeper than ¼”. Monarch habitat should be planted in late fall when soil temperatures are below 40°F but the soil is not frozen. This prevents fall germination of the habitat species. Dry soil is ideal for drilling seed while wet, muddy soil is ideal for broadcasting seed.