One of our favorite pollinating butterflies, the orange and black Eastern Monarch, may disappear due to rapid loss of habitat.

You can help save Monarchs by creating their habitats in your garden with beautiful flowers!

The Monarchs’ situation and how you can help is summarized below:

You can help save Monarchs!

The Monarch Caterpillar can eat only pesticide-free, native Milkweed. 

Ninety percent of the Monarchs’ summer homes have been in US farmlands per Monarch Watch. Corn and soybean seeds have been genetically modified to make the crops resistant to pesticides. This modification allows farmers to spray their entire farmland to kill all other plants, destroying those necessary for the Monarch habitat, including milkweed. 

Plant 10 Native Milkweed plants (i.e. Common, Swamp/Marsh or Butterfly Weed, but not non native Tropical Milkweed) and summer- and late-blooming perennial native nectar plants in the sun. Each Monarch’s survival depends on anything from a large piece of land to a postage-size garden in the city. 

Click on Filter and enter your state abbreviation for a starter list of milkweed vendors. For more Monarch butterfly gardening information, see Bring Ohio Butterflies to Your Yard and page down through Make Habitat for Monarchs. Water Milkweeds in dry weather so leaves stay tender for Monarch caterpillars to chew. 

It works! Watch this short YouTube video of butterflies in an Ohio city yard to see a Monarch laying an egg under a leaf and Monarchs mating in a tree near the end of the video. Spread the word to create a no-spray, no-mow Monarch Trail. People created Bluebird Trails to save Bluebirds, so why not Monarch Trails? Learn more at www.backyardhabitat.info and request the free monthly Nature Scoop email.