The Martin Brothers/Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly

The Martin Brothers/Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly. . , The Martin Brothers , There's More to the Story, After decades of failed treaties, disease epidemics, and the repeated loss of territory, the conditions of Native American tribes on the plains consistently became worse. When the Homestead Act of 1862 was passed, more and more Europeans poured into Native American territory. Tensions between tribes and emigrants rose higher and higher. In March 1864, at the heights of the American Civil War, the Territorial Governor of Nebraska withdrew most of the soldiers from the plains to fight the Confederates. This left a limited number of troops at forts and made the Platte Rive Valley vulnerable., On August 7, 1864, the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Brute Lakota, who were suffering terrible conditions on their reservations, took advantage of the reduced military power in the area and attacked stage stations and ranches along the Oregon Trail, hitting nearly every settlement for 400 miles from the Big Sandy Creek in Jefferson County, Nebraska to Julesburg, Colorado., These raids were destructive. The most severe attacks were along the upper Little Blue River, where about 100 people were killed. The raiders drove off livestock, attacked stage coaches, burned ranches, and captured whole wagon trains. Settlers fled east to Beatrice or northwest to Fort Kearny for protection., The tribes successfully closed the Platte River Road for nearly two months, but it lead to severe retaliation from the U.S. government., Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly , Every fall, monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles from as far north as Canada to over winter in Mexico. Their larvae only eat milkweed. So, along the way, the females lay their eggs on milkweed plants. Milkweed has been disappearing rapidly in North America since the late 1990s. The loss of milkweed means the loss of breeding habitat and a steep decline in population., Observe the plants in the garden. How many different insects do you see? Do you see the bee house? Honeybees do not live here. This house is ideal for solitary bees like the leafcutter and mason bees. These bees do not make honey but they do help pollinate the native plants of the Great Plains. Don't be afraid, they are friendly bees and only sting if you handle them.