Passions: One Female Executive’s Double Life as a Monarch Maniac
by Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)
Much like the Monarch butterflies she loves so dearly, Monika Maeckle, vice president of new media at a large media company, has a personal journey spans many different regions. Her parents are German immigrants, who, like so many others, came to this country in search of a better life. The butterfly enthusiast grew up in suburban Dallas, where she loved the outdoors. “As a kid I spent a lot of time by a creek we called ‘the crashed up car.’ We’d have big, wild adventures. I’ve always been like this; I’ve always preferred the outdoors to anything else. I think it’s just a personality thing … well, that and the fact that mosquitoes don’t like me,” Maeckle said.
A career in communications hasn’t really proven to be the ideal profession for a self-described “Monarch maniac” who loves the outdoors, as a majority of Maeckle’s time as vice president of new media is spent in an office working at a computer. It actually may be a blessing in disguise that Maeckle discovered her passion for Monarchs so late in life; making this discovery any sooner may have derailed the illustrious media and marketing career that took her far from “the crashed up car” in her Dallas neighborhood. After her first job as a reporter, she moved to New York for a copy editing position, which eventually led to a long stint in Costa Rica where she worked as a freelance writer while her husband was employed by Newsweek Magazine. Upon returning to the States, the couple wanted to get back in touch with nature and be more “outdoorsy,” which was impossible in New York City.
Acquiring their Lucky Boy Ranch in Texas Hill Country has been one of the greatest things that could have ever happened to Maeckle, especially after she discovered it was located on the Monarch flight path.
Each and every year about 12 million Monarch butterflies make a 2,500 mile migration from Canada to Mexico. It takes nearly three generations of these butterflies to complete the journey, meaning the beautiful, delicate creatures know innately when and where it is they’re supposed to go. How Monarchs know to migrate to the warmer climates of Mexico remains one of nature’s biggest mysteries and one of Maeckle’s most all-encompassing passions.
There are few states in the U.S. that are graced by the presence of Monarchs as they begin to drift in during spring and summer. By early fall, these Monarch hot spots explode in hues of orange and black as the poisonous butterflies nest in trees and feed on the milkweed that conscientious folks such as Maeckle plant in hopes of drawing the butterflies in.
She was first introduced to these extraordinary creatures by a friend, who invited her over to visit her ranch one fall evening. “She took me out to this tree where hundreds of Monarchs were nesting. We caught some of the butterflies and I placed my hand in the net. It felt like putting your hand in a minnow bucket–squirming with life. They were fluttering all over the place, it was truly magical,” Maeckle said. Shortly after that initial experience, Maeckle discovered that she had a Monarch spot on her own ranch, just on the Llano River where two oak trees meet. It took a couple of years before her full-fledged Monarch mania set in, but once it developed there was no going back.
Maeckle spends about eight hours a week tending to her garden and meeting each and every need of her butterflies. She’ll be the first to admit her passion’s a little nutty, but it’s difficult not to get swept up in her enthusiasm. “You really know when something’s gone from a hobby to a passion when you can’t stop talking about it. I talk to everyone about Monarchs. I bring caterpillars into my office to show my co-workers how fast they’re growing. These butterflies take everything I love and care about, such as biodiversity and the environment, and wrap it into one beautiful package,” Maeckle said.
“It’s important for people to understand that Monarch butterflies are vital. We’re in a downward spiral. We’re tearing up the landscape, decreasing diversity, and taking away the natural habitat of these butterflies. Their ability to pollinate is crucial to our survival as a species as well,” Maeckle said. Maeckle urges people to begin planting milkweed, a bitter, poisonous plant named for the milky juice it exudes when cut. Aside from being an important nectar source for bees and butterflies, it’s also the only place where Monarchs will lay their eggs.
This mother of two is a self-described “empty nester” and she jokes that this is the reason she’s taken to raising butterflies. Statistics prove that only one percent of Monarch eggs survive in the wild, while a whopping 90 percent survive with the help of humans. Maeckle gives her potential butterflies the best chance at life by harvesting the eggs from the milkweed plants in her garden. The eggs are kept in a jar until they hatch into caterpillars. The process, however, does not end there. These hungry caterpillars are then transferred to Tupperware where they are fed a steady diet of the milkweed Maeckle has grown herself. Once the caterpillars hit the pupa stage and bind themselves into a beautiful, vibrant green chrysalis, Maeckle places them on a homemade “chrysalis tree” until they are ready to emerge as breathtaking Monarch butterflies.
“Everyone talks about ‘mediamorphosis.’ What’s even more interesting is true metamorphosis and it’s so gratifying to be able to play a part in it,” Maeckle said. “These are eggs that you are protecting. They grow into caterpillars that will eat the food you grew. Essentially you get to raise a butterfly and give it a shot at life. It’s amazing to see the universe this way. Too few people really allow themselves to be enchanted by the sheer beauty of nature anymore- and that’s a shame.”
“These butterflies [are the subject of] so many misconceptions,” Maeckle said. “They’re thought of as these dainty, sensitive little things, but they’re so resilient. You will see some that have ragged wings, but they will still continue on, trying to reach their destination. When I retire I’m going to make butterflies my life. I’m going to become a fulltime butterfly evangelist and environmental activist. Monarchs have so much to teach people if they’d just pay attention.”
For more information on the Monarch butterflies, go to MonarchWatch.org
