Nature PEI

Monarch — Special Concern

Monarch

Danaus plexippus

Due to declining populations, the Monarch has been listed as Special Concern through the Species at Risk Act (SARA) since 2003. A Management Plan was produced in 2016, the same year that a new status review indicated the species is now endangered. However, a legal status of Special Concern species remains in effect.

On completion of the 6-year Maritimes Butterfly Atlas project in 2015, the Monarch was assigned a breeding rank of S1 in PEI, meaning it was only known from 1-5 locations. The caterpillars must eat milkweed plants to develop into adults, but these plants are in short supply here. The native Swamp Milkweed is a rare plant restricted to a few mucky wetland locations in eastern PEI. Meanwhile, the introduced Common Milkweed is mainly confined to large patches along the Confederation Trail. Local gardeners, naturalists and watershed groups are working to expand the Swamp Milkweed population in hopes of having more Monarchs, and they are having success in planting it in dry gardens. By October, 2024, there were 76 confirmed Monarch observations reported to iNaturalist from across PEI, ranging from Souris in the east, to Pleasant View in the west. These included eggs and larvae, proof of Monarch breeding on the Island.

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