Restorative milkweed plantings are vital to Monarch butterflies survival

After receiving a grant from the Monarch Watch Restoration Project, we have completed planting 988 milkweeds.

If you asked me 5-10 years ago, ‘where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?’ My response would not have been planting weeds. Especially not with the care and determination Chris and I have put into our Milkweed Restoration Project for Monarch butterflies.  However, milkweed species are being picked out of the national landscape and therefore directly impact the Monarch butterfly. Milk-“weeds” are actually a native perennial flowers vital to the Monarch butterflies survival.
 
So why help the Monarchs specifically from all the other butterflies you may wonder? (I know I did before setting out to plant milkweeds.) There are a number of practical reasons:

Did you know that the Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed? The leaves are the Monarch caterpillars’ only food source as they grow! We all face the unfortunate reality of the Monarch butterfly rapidly losing habitat and on the path to the endangered species list unless there is action from people like you and me.

Milkweeds produce a striking, long lasting flower. There isn’t a native perennial garden plan that doesn’t incorporate them – who doesn’t love to see the attractive Monarch visiting the garden?

The Monarchs are one of the keystone icons for pollinators. By providing their habitat needs, all of the other local pollinators receive the habitat they need too.

Monarchs live much longer than most butterflies and can travel a vast distance each year – from the northern U.S. Midwest region up into Canada all the way down to Mexico to overwinter. Scientists are still studying and trying to understand this migration. Click on the map to see a larger version of the map on the Monarch Watch website.

The Monarch butterflies and milkweeds, like other wildlife and plant life, need help from people like you and me who care about the ecology of the planet God has put into our hands to steward. There are ways you help even if you can’t plant a vast amount of area like we did. A simple potted container of native flowers is a great place to start – and don’t forget your milkweeds. Adding milkweed species to your perennial garden no matter what size you have to work with is a great way to help the Monarch butterfly along their migration. Your local bees, butterflies, and birds will thank you for it too! The Monarch Watch offers resources, registries, kits, and plans to help take a lot of the guesswork out of planting a Monarch butterfly garden. Check out the Monarch Waystation . If you want to do something bigger like a Monarch Watch Restoration Project you can find information there too.
 
To keep up with what we are doing or to find out when we are having a Stewardship Day on planting Monarch butterfly gardens and wild areas “Like Us” on Facebook or leave your email through our Contact page. We look forward to hearing from you!

Monarchs and Milkweeds are a B.I.G.I.
Be Informed. Get Involved. It’s Your World!