THE Historical Botanical Garden of La Concepcion in Málaga is once again home to the Monarch butterfly, which has returned to this landscape garden after several years of absence.
The monarch butterfly was officially designated as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature last July, 2022, given that the species’ population has dropped between 20% and 90% over the last several decades.
As a result, programs are being implemented to protect its habitats in the American and Latin countries where it is native, as well as in other countries where this striking butterfly can be found.
Naturalists at La Concepción have succeeded in reintegrating the Monarch butterfly into the gardens thanks to the planting of specimens of Asclepias curassavica, known as ‘algodoncillo’ or bloodflower, alongside the Lotus Pond—the only plant that the caterpillar feeds on.
The Monarch butterfly is a large butterfly, about ten centimeters in size, with orange wings intersected by black veins and white spots on the edges, making it a very easily recognizable species.
The butterfly is native to the northern part of America and is probably the most well-known and studied butterfly due to its stunning long-distance migration to reach their overwintering grounds in Mexico.
While monarchs are native to North America, they’ve spread throughout much of the world during the past 200 years. They currently inhabit over 90 countries, islands, and island groups but differ in their morphology and are non-migratory.
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