September brings in the first signs of fall, and with them, monarch butterflies can be seen all across Creighton’s campus.

Commonly spotted near the library and the planters along the mall, these iconic butterflies are important for more than their aesthetic value.

Ted Burk, a professor of biology, has dedicated years to the study of butterflies, and he has tagged generations of butterflies on Creighton’s campus.

Burk explained that because monarchs cannot survive the frigid Midwest winters, they migrate across the region. First, south through Texas and then onward to Western Mexico. Once reaching western Mexico, these monarchs rest and recuperate from their long journey for the next four months.

On their return journey, the vivid orange butterflies will reproduce once, and this generation will make the rest of the journey to the Midwest. This generation will eventually die off, but two generations will be live in Omaha in the more temperate seasons, with the fourth generation making the long journey to Mexico again.

This well documented journey is familiar to many students, and the butterflies serve as “ecological indicators” or “canaries in the cornfield,” according to Burk.

The monarch population decrease, beginning in the 1990s, has been dramatic, and changes in American agriculture is likely to blame. Specifically, herbicide sprayed on fields kills milkweed, a critical element of the monarch’s habitat.

On Creighton’s campus, students have the ability to preserve the habitats of the monarchs, according to Abby Robinson, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Our campus in located right in the middle of their migration path so we are in a position where we could make a lot of difference in the preservation of this species,” said Robinson.

For example, milkweed, the host plant of monarchs, could be planted around campus.

Even though the monarch season at Creighton is coming to an end, Burk still thinks there is time to appreciate the butterflies. “The more you know about what’s going on around you the more interesting life is.