![]() The reason? Planting non-native types of milkweed risks monarch butterfly health. The key is this: You must plant milkweed native to your area. However, not just any kind of milkweed will do. These caterpillars hatch from eggs laid on the plant before consuming its leaves. It’s the only plant monarch caterpillars eat. Milkweed is vital for the monarch’s life cycle. Along with planting milkweed, there are other ways you can help the monarch. Thankfully, we know of some ways in which everyone can help. With their very existence in danger and no end to these challenges in sight, it is important that we act now to save the monarch butterfly. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed that protections are warranted, the monarch butterfly has not been given strong national protections yet. Yet these creatures face many challenges from pesticides, habitat loss and climate change. Monarchs contribute to a healthy ecosystem as pollinators and an important food source to birds, small animals and other insects. ![]() In the West, population decline since the 1980s is as high as 99.9 percent. Across the region falling east of the Rocky Mountains, the monarch population has dropped approximately 80 percent since the mid-1990s. Their populations have seen an alarming drop in recent years. These breathtaking orange and black butterflies travel up to 3,000 miles on its journey across North America. I’m often asked, “When should I plant it, and does it matter what kind of milkweed?” To answer these and other questions about helping these iconic pollinators, I have compiled this compendium of much of what you need to know.įirst things first, it’s important to understand what’s at stake with the monarchs. When it comes to saving the monarch butterfly, many people know that milkweed is essential.
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