An Orange Monarch We Can Learn From: A Butterfly

Coinciding with this past weekend's "No Kings" rallies around the nation and the world was the costly flop of a military spectacle in D.C. The June 14 (Flag Day) military parade to "celebrate" the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the U.S. Army was an exercise in intimidation more than celebration. While would-be protesters of the display were threatened they would be met with "great force," they were undeterred. Michael McPhearson, veteran and director of Veterans for Peace, responded, "We are the actual people who put uniforms on because we believe in the freedoms this country is supposed to be about and we will not be intimidated into silence." Neither were the estimated five million "No Kings" protesters intimidated into silence, those who gathered peacefully - and loudly - to exercise their First Amendment rights. In Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe declared a State of Emergency ahead of the "No Kings" rallies, and called up the National Guard preemptively, under the guise of proactive law enforcement assistance. He said, "While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities."

Perhaps this is a key learning moment: Intimidation tactics seldom persuade the recipients of bullying that the bully's argument is valid.

Oops, Darth Vader! Your mask is slipping.

The informal fallacy known simply as "the appeal to force" (not to be confused with "the Force" of Star Wars fame; >L. argumentum 'ad baculum' - an argument 'to the stick') suggests that an argument's conclusion should be accepted not on its logical coherence and validity, (i.e., that the premises support the conclusion of a logical syllogism), but that a threat of force requires assent. It's a logical fallacy, employing force, coercion, or the threat of negative consequences, rather than providing relevant evidence or logical reasoning. Ad baculum argumentation essentially replaces logical coherence with intimidation. Here's an example of ad baculum intimidation: "Agree with my conclusion, or I'll beat you up." It's a bully's anthem.

Monarch love translates into life for the whole ecosystem.

There is an extraordinarily admirable orange Monarch we can learn from in this ongoing struggle with bullies and their intimidation tactics: the Monarch butterfly. Their defense systems are passive - no bully intimidation tactics needed. Their lives are brief (adults live 4-5 weeks), brilliant (two pairs of brilliant orange-red wings, featuring black veining and white spots along the perimeter), and highly adaptive, due to their pollinator dance with wildflowers, and with plant and animal species dependent on flowering plants. In other words, the whole Earth.

Monarch butterflies are of the genus Papilio (butterfly). They are extraordinary exemplars for passive defense systems, and they embody ancient wisdom for transformation, adaptation, and migration. Their Family/Sub-Genus/Species is: Nymphalidae/Danaus/plexippus (Carl Linnaeus, Systema Naturae, 1758). Nymphalidae refers to their hairy, brush-footed forelegs, and Danaus plexippus (<Gk. after descendents of Zeus, Danaus and Plexippus) reflect the Greek mythologies which inspired lepidoptery naming by Linnaeus in the 18th c.

Sadly, Monarch butterflies are facing extinction. Urban sprawl and big ag expansion means millions of acres of milkweed have been paved and plowed under, so an urban revolution has begun to plant milkweed for the survival of these pollinator heroes whose existence is required for biospheric ecosystem health.

Becoming Monarch is a Process. You have to take the long view.

It's not just milkweed that's needed for the survival and thriving of the Monarch, but it's thriving, interdependent plant communities and massive systemic change needed for healing and regenerative life that the Monarchs require. This is because Monarch and milkweed, nectar-rich plants and insect, herbivore and carnivore symbionts dance in continuous, life-reciprocal relationship. Another lesson from the Monarch: Pay attention to everyone/everything contributing to the whole. Attract collaborators who will repel predators.

Asclepius tuberosa (<Gk. god of healing, 'Asclepius' ) - the Milkweed butterfly - is associated with the healing properties of the milkweed. Milkweed is the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs, and on which the baby caterpillars feed. According to University of Michigan researcher, Mark Hunter, "In the wild, parasite-infected female monarch butterflies sometimes seek out milkweed plants with high toxin levels and lay their eggs there, a process known as trans-generational self-medication." Monarchs use the glycosides found in milkweed as a chemical defense against predators. And other species such as Viceroy butterflies benefit from this defense system because they exhibit classic Batesian mimicry; although they do not ingest milkweed themselves, predators confuse them for Monarchs and avoid them. Lesson: Learn from others. Collaboration is key to survival.

Another lesson from the Monarch: Adapt. Travel lightly. Move with purpose and take the long view. Their extraordinary migratory and transformative abilities are astounding. They travel between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more from the NE United States and SE Canada to the forested mountains of Central Mexico, seeking optimum climate conditions to hibernate from early November to mid-March. Their habitat is being rapidly destroyed due to deforestation, urban sprawl, and unabated climate change. Significant habitat loss requires significant change at scale. It requires profound investment and commitment by elected legislative representatives to effect change, so large-scale environmental protection efforts can proceed. Monarchs are enlisting the aid of us humans, their fierce enemies who have driven them to the brink of extinction, by being too beautiful for us to ignore.

Monarchs are vital agents for transformative change and ecosystem diversity and vibrancy. They are change-management experts. This metamorphizing super-ability is not only reflected in the process of their own bodily transformation, but the primary role they play as pollinators, facilitating the reproduction of a fantastic variety of plant species. "At the heart of biodiversity lies the crucial link between pollination and the varied tapestry of life on Earth. Monarch butterflies, as prominent pollinators, weave this intricate connection by facilitating the reproduction of numerous plant species. Their foraging habits and innate ability to transfer pollen from one flower to another contribute significantly to the maintenance of diverse ecosystems."

Biodiversity is the fabric of healthy life in our common Home, Earth. Lesson for would-be monarchs: "Transform. Heal. Adapt. Take the long view. Lead like a butterfly."