Know Before You Go
What You Can Do To Help Monarch Butterflies
If you live in monarch habitat, one of the most important actions you can take will leave your house looking more beautiful! Planting native milkweed will give the adults a place to lay their eggs in the spring, and an abundance of native flowers of all types in your yard will fuel their journey back to Mexico in the fall. Even if you haven’t seen many butterflies in your yard in the past, a profusion of blossoms just might draw in more than you ever expected. You can order milkweed starts from MonarchWatch.org.
Purchasing produce that was grown without the use of herbicides and pesticides incentivizes large agribusinesses to farm in a way that enhances habitat for the monarchs, rather than eliminating wildflowers across millions of acres of cropland.
Having people across the country contributing to citizen science greatly increases researchers’ ability to look at continent-wide trends in migration patterns and population numbers. Record your sightings of milkweed and breeding monarchs at monarchmilkweedmapper.org.
For More Information on Helping Monarch Butterflies:
World Wildlife Fund: worldwildlife.org/species/monarch-butterfly
Bring Back the Monarchs Campaign: monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs
Monarch Waystation Program: monarchwatch.org/waystations/
Milkweed Market: monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market
Monarch Joint Venture: monarchjointventure.org
Create Habitats for Monarchs: www.plantmilkweed.org
Journey North: journeynorth.org/monarchs
MonarchWatch.org: www.monarchwatch.org
La Cruz Reforestation Fund: www.forestsformonarchs.org
Monarch Butterfly Fund: monarchconservation.org
Header Credit: Astrid Frisch
