THE BUTTERFLY WHISPERER
Monarchs Thrive in Tampa Bay
By Aaron R. Fodiman
Photography by Wendy Risk
Some people collect art, while
others collect recipes or
odd assortments of objects.
Retired teacher Wendy Risk
of Clearwater collects butterflies.
She often prefers them to people.
She is called “The Butterfly
Whisperer” by her friends.
Growing up in northern Michigan,
she learned about monarchs from
her father, who told her these
beautiful creatures lay their eggs
exclusively on one plant, the
milkweed, and that when the eggs
hatch into caterpillars, the only plant
they will eat is milkweed. Therefore,
a monarch needs milkweed to
survive, much as our plants and
vegetables require pollinators such
as butterflies to thrive.
In Michigan, butterflies are
rare, appearing only during the
brief summer season. However,
when Wendy moved to Florida,
she discovered that hundreds of
different butterflies live here, so
she started a butterfly garden by
planting milkweed. A series of
events led Wendy to speak about
butterflies to the Pinellas Park
Garden Club, where she was elected
president within the year.
Unfortunately, the overall
monarch butterfly population
has decreased dramatically over
the last two decades due to the
increased use of herbicide/pesticide
and to the decreased availability
of appropriate habitats. Wendy
says that to save the monarch, we
need to grow milkweed and other
plants that are conducive to their
survival. After observing a bevy of
caterpillars on her outdoor plants,
Wendy transfers her caterpillars
inside to a habitat to keep them safe
108 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2019
The monarch butterfly
is one of the most
common and easiest to
identify with its colorful
markings.