This spring, plant milkweed in your yard to restore habitat that supports monarch butterflies.
Monarch butterfly caterpillars are specialists for eating milkweed; there is no other plant that can sustain them. From the toxic sap of the milkweed, they become unpalatable themselves, keeping them relatively safe from predators. One of the marvels about monarchs is that they migrate between Mexico and Canada but take three generations to do so, stopping in various locations throughout the United States. This means that they need to find milkweed along their route to lay their eggs so that the next generation can continue their journey. As their required habitat is disappearing, monarch populations have been declining. You can help the monarchs by planting a patch milkweeds in your yard. In our area, plants are available to purchase at native plant events such as the annual Brandywine Conservancy native plant sale in May or at nurseries such as Redbud in Media. You will not only be supporting monarchs but also a whole range of pollinators that feed on the nectar of milkweed plants. You will find these attractive flowers a beautiful addition to your landscaping!
You can find out all that you need to know in these guides: Create Habitat for Monarchs and the Gardening for Monarchs brochure. Learn more about their amazing migration at Monarchwatch.org.
Photo by Debbie Long, Flickr
Monarch butterfly caterpillars are specialists for eating milkweed; there is no other plant that can sustain them. From the toxic sap of the milkweed, they become unpalatable themselves, keeping them relatively safe from predators. One of the marvels about monarchs is that they migrate between Mexico and Canada but take three generations to do so, stopping in various locations throughout the United States. This means that they need to find milkweed along their route to lay their eggs so that the next generation can continue their journey. As their required habitat is disappearing, monarch populations have been declining. You can help the monarchs by planting a patch milkweeds in your yard. In our area, plants are available to purchase at native plant events such as the annual Brandywine Conservancy native plant sale in May or at nurseries such as Redbud in Media. You will not only be supporting monarchs but also a whole range of pollinators that feed on the nectar of milkweed plants. You will find these attractive flowers a beautiful addition to your landscaping!
You can find out all that you need to know in these guides: Create Habitat for Monarchs and the Gardening for Monarchs brochure. Learn more about their amazing migration at Monarchwatch.org.
Photo by Debbie Long, Flickr
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