The guidelines are simple: Plant two or more milkweed varieties for the caterpillars to feed on, some nectar sources for the adults, and you become part of a national registry. Established in 2005, it engages citizens in conservation by providing instruction and materials on how to build and maintain a monarch habitat. Luckily, an initiative called the Monarch Waystation Program is starting to make a crucial difference. And it also includes suburban and urban gardens located along the butterflies’ migratory corridor. This includes farms, roadsides, schools, zoos and rights of way. And to sustain the annual migration, these contributions need to come from all land sectors. And without it, the butterflies cannot complete their life cycle, sustain their migration and ultimately, perpetuate their species.Īccording to the North American Monarch Conservation Plan, we need 1.8 billion milkweed stems to replace those that have been lost to agriculture and urbanization. The native wildflower is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat. Activities such as logging, agriculture and urbanization have all taken their toll on the central highland forests that play host to the insects six months out of every year.īut by far the most significant factor driving the decline is the dwindling supply of a plant called milkweed. Part of this is due to a loss of habitat at the butterflies’ overwintering site in Mexico. Over the past 25 years, however, there’s been a sharp decline in monarch populations. They are the only butterfly species to make such a long, two-way migration. All told, the tiny insects fly upwards of 2000 miles roundtrip each spring, stopping four times to breed and lay their eggs. The butterflies’ annual migration from Mexico to Canada is one of the most spectacular events worldwide. If you’re reading this post, you’re probably already a monarch fan. Now for the first time ever, there’s a roadmap for building the perfect monarch garden. Recently, they completed a two-year study on the likes and dislikes of the popular orange and black butterfly. But as Professor of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, he and his grad students sure love to run experiments.
Daniel Potter freely admits he’s not an expert on monarchs.
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