LINDA KALWEIT
Duluth, Minn., is the destina- tion or stopover city for vaca- tioners to northern Minnesota, but Gloria Dei Lutheran Church provides a different sort of resting spot—to monarch but- terflies on their way to and from their migration to Mexico.
Welcoming winged guests
Monarchs discover ‘Vacancy’ sign in Duluth, Minn. By Alison Stucke
A
ll are welcome at Gloria Dei Lutheran
Church—including those with wings. Thanks to Tom
Uecker, a monarch expert and Gloria Dei member, the church property in the center of Duluth, Minn., includes a certified monarch way station. Surrounded by concrete parking lots and mortar of tall buildings, the station provides a place of rest, nectar and sanctuary for
Stucke is a freelance writer, librarian and English instruc- tor living in Duluth, Minn.
monarchs in all stages: from egg, to larvae, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly.
This resting place sustains them and= helps them pro- duce future generations—crucial since monarch migra- tion is endangered. “Even an urban area with a little green earth works for a monarch way station,” Uecker said. “The monarchs are finding us. I’ve found eggs and caterpillars in our gardens.”
This habitat creates the perfect environment for mon- archs, which migrate each spring to the U.S. and Canada, and then return again in the fall to central Mexico. In the way station they lay their eggs, which develop
until caterpillar larvae hatch. Caterpillars feed on the milkweed and create their chrysalides. Finally, butter- flies emerge from the chrysalis and hang on the plants to dry their newly formed wings until they’re ready to fly away.
Monarchs need all the help they can get to safely
make their migration and to create the next genera- tion, Uecker said. Development, overuse of herbicides and genetically modified crop practices all reduce the amount of land suitable for monarch habitat, he added. “The whole idea is not to have one huge space, but to
14 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
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