TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --
When Carrie Oehlerich, the lead office assistant for Aramark, a food service at Tinker Air Force Base, found a caterpillar in her garden four years ago, she took to the internet, just to make sure it was not one to be concerned about.
She soon found that it was harmless — just a monarch butterfly caterpillar.
However, in her search, she also found communities of people joined together online to support each other in boosting the declining population of the monarch.
Oehlerich was already passionate about butterflies. Now, she had a new way to help them.
She continued to plant milkweed in her garden, the plant monarchs lay eggs on and a vital food source for monarch caterpillars.
Oehlerich removed the eggs, along with some milkweed leaves, placed them in a container and raised them to adulthood in her home.
This increases the survival rate of the butterflies from less than 10 percent in the wild, to as high as 95 percent, according to an article published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
“The process itself is pretty amazing to watch,” Oehlerich said.
“When they come out they are the size of the chrysalis, their little wings are shrunk and crinkled … next thing you know they’re growing.”
Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico in fall months and to Canada in spring, with Oklahoma in their migration path.
Oklahomans will most often see the butterflies in April, May, August and September, said Donna Nolan, a natural resources technician at Tinker AFB.
While migrating each way, the butterflies will stop to roost, or hide underneath leaves on trees to rest, lay eggs and die.
Once in Mexico, they live longer while they “overwinter,” roosting in trees in a small geographical location before migrating again.
This leads to the monarchs going through several generations between leaving Canada and returning, Nolan said.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information article, the monarch population of eastern North America declined by 84 percent between the winters of 1996-1997 and 2014-2015.
A similar decline has been observed in monarchs in western North America. Threats such as use of insecticides, climate change and loss of habitat — both milkweed and trees — have been identified as causes of the decline, according to the article.
This decline of their population is harmful, because butterflies such as the monarch are important for pollination and their place in the food web, said John Krupovage, natural resources program manager at Tinker AFB.
“It’s important, I feel, for us to do this and give them a boost they need and to help the population. If we don’t do it, who’s going to?” Oehlerich said.
Organizations such as ‘The Beautiful Monarch’ and ‘Okies for Monarchs’ have online forums where individuals discuss raising the butterflies and give each other tips.
Planting milkweed will attract butterflies, and raising them is simple, Oehlerich said.
Oehlerich places leaves with eggs attached in containers.
Over the course of a month from being laid, the eggs hatch, caterpillars grow from the size of a grain of rice to “about the size of a pinky finger,” form themselves into a chrysalis and emerge as a butterfly.
During that time, Oehlerich said she simply cleans out their container and gives them a steady supply of milkweed.
Immediately after emerging from the chrysalis, the butterfly’s wings are delicate, but they are usually ready to be released after about four hours.
However, it’s better to release them in favorable weather, when it is not raining and is 50 degrees or above, and at not too close to dusk so they have time to find somewhere to roost before dark, Oehlerich said.
Nolan said that, when surveying monarch larvae in natural areas on base, she found that monarchs prefer swamp milkweed over other species of milkweed present during their fall migration.
The Tinker Natural Resources Department plants swamp milkweed as part of its prairie restoration efforts, in turn supporting the monarch population.
Krupovage said that when deciding what will be planted on Tinker AFB, the environmental team generally targets a diversity of plants native to the area, as opposed to planning them around a specific species of insect.
The goal is “to plant resilient native flora” to build a healthy plant system, which, in turn, helps wildlife species — like the monarch — stay healthy, he said.
“We need this because if species become unhealthy and numbers decline, they may become federally listed as threatened or endangered which can negatively impact the military mission,” Krupovage said.
“Also, these natural systems ultimately save the Air Force time and money by requiring significantly less grounds maintenance.”
For those wanting to “do your part” but do not want to take care of caterpillars, simply planting milkweed and being mindful will bring monarchs, Oehlerich said.
She said when she became aware of the monarchs in her yard, she also started to be more careful about what she sprayed her garden and grass with.
Additionally, she makes sure to wash her hands between petting her dog and handling the butterfly eggs and caterpillars, as to not transfer tick and flea medicine between them.
“The key thing is having milkweed available to help their population. You don’t have to bring them indoors to raise them. Giving them an environment and a habitat where they can do their thing, that in itself helps them,” Oehlerich said.
“If you build it, they will come. If there is milkweed, the monarchs will find it.”