written by an Earth Ranger family together
Milkweeds and Monarchs
Milkweeds are the host plant for monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly numbers are getting smaller!!!
In fact, there are so few monarchs in recent years, that a single storm or cold snap in their overwintering grounds could wipe out the entire migrating population.
In the graph below showing numbers of monarchs overwintering in Mexico, you can see that monarch population goes up and down, but each time it goes down the population is smaller than the last dip, and is fast disappearing entirely. We are in imminent danger of losing the epic migration undertaken only by North American monarchs that live east of the Rockies.
https://monarchwatch.org/blog/2018/03/10/monarch-population-status-32/
Milkweeds and Monarchs
Milkweeds are the host plant for monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly numbers are getting smaller!!!
In fact, there are so few monarchs in recent years, that a single storm or cold snap in their overwintering grounds could wipe out the entire migrating population.
In the graph below showing numbers of monarchs overwintering in Mexico, you can see that monarch population goes up and down, but each time it goes down the population is smaller than the last dip, and is fast disappearing entirely. We are in imminent danger of losing the epic migration undertaken only by North American monarchs that live east of the Rockies.
https://monarchwatch.org/blog/2018/03/10/monarch-population-status-32/
In the winter, North American monarchs go on a great migration to Mexico, some all the way from Canada. Some even fly across the Gulf of Mexico. That may not seem far at first, but they don’t have airplanes, cars, or trucks, so they have to fly all the way! They don’t have smartphones either so they can’t get Google maps to know the right way to go so how do they navigate? It is a mystery!!! In fact, the monarchs that return to Mexico each year have never been there before. It takes 4 generations for monarchs to complete their great migration north to the United States and Canada and then back to Mexico.
Learn more about this amazing migration:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFoSpaNqqeQ
https://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarchs
The good news is it is so easy and fun to help monarchs!
One of the monarchs' greatest challenges
is they don’t have enough milkweed to eat.
You can plant milkweed!
Learn more about this amazing migration:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFoSpaNqqeQ
https://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarchs
The good news is it is so easy and fun to help monarchs!
One of the monarchs' greatest challenges
is they don’t have enough milkweed to eat.
You can plant milkweed!
Picture of Hope: A Kid Planting Milkweed
Get milkweeds here!
https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/
Or find milkweed seeds!
http://xerces.org/milkweed-seed-finder/
Be sure to plant milkweeds that are native to your area.
Another super fun way to help monarchs is to raise monarch caterpillars. And if you planted milkweed, you might find monarch caterpillars on your plants! Raising them indoors eliminates predators and weather dangers they face and greatly increases their survival rate (if you raise them properly).
Visit our How to Raise Monarchs page
https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/
Or find milkweed seeds!
http://xerces.org/milkweed-seed-finder/
Be sure to plant milkweeds that are native to your area.
Another super fun way to help monarchs is to raise monarch caterpillars. And if you planted milkweed, you might find monarch caterpillars on your plants! Raising them indoors eliminates predators and weather dangers they face and greatly increases their survival rate (if you raise them properly).
Visit our How to Raise Monarchs page