Monarch butterflies (
Danaus plexippus
) depend on the presence of host plants (
Asclepias
spp.) within their breeding range for reproduction. In the southern Great Plains,
Asclepias viridis
is a perennial that flowers in May and June, and starts to senesce by August. It is locally abundant and readily used by monarchs as a host plant. We evaluated the effects of summer prescribed fire on
A. viridis
and the use of
A. viridis
by monarch butterflies. Summer prescribed fire generated a newly emergent population of
A. viridis
that was absent in other areas. Pre-migrant monarch butterflies laid eggs on
A. viridis
in summer burned plots in late August and September, allowing adequate time for a new generation of adult monarchs to emerge and migrate south to their overwintering grounds. Thus, summer prescribed fire may provide host plant patches and/or corridors for pre-migrant monarchs during a time when host plant availability may be limited in other areas.
Fire creates host plant patches for monarch butterflies
