A monarch on a blooming swamp milkweed.
Possibly the most recognized butterfly species in North America, the monarch was declared endangered in 2022 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Human behavior has led to the reasons for the population declines of these species with one of the main factors threatening monarchs being loss of habitat. The loss is due to urban and agricultural expansion which has minimized the large spaces where milkweed once grew transforming them into smaller, isolated patches. Habitat destruction has left fewer patches of milkweed for larvae and nectar rich flowers for adult monarchs to feed upon.
Pesticides, disease, climate change and invasive species all also contribute to the reduced populations of monarch butterflies. Expanding habitat can help the species tolerate these stresses.
To help stave off habitat loss, many gardeners are adding milkweed to the landscape. A monarch way station program was developed by Monarch Watch in the 1990s to increase the amount of milkweed and to find solutions to offset habitat destruction taking place across North America. The way stations are gardens that may be grown in home gardens, schools, municipal and commercial buildings, parks, zoos, nature centers or along road sides.
There is no minimum size for a way station but they generally start at about 100 square feet. The space should ideally be in a location that receives full sun or at least six hours of sun per day.
Select plants based upon whether your space is wet or dry. Milkweed and nectar plants are available in varieties suited for either type of location, but some prefer one or the other. Selecting plants best suited for your space improves the likelihood of success for your plants. Be careful where you acquire your plants. You need to have plants grown without the use of pesticides or insecticides. You don’t want to plant something that will kill the larvae of the monarch you are working to attract.
A monarch caterpillar on butterfly weed, a variety of milkweed. Milkweed is the only plant monarch larvae will eat.
Include at least ten milkweed plants of two or more species for your way station. Different milkweed plants mature and bloom at different times, so having more species gives your garden a longer time to provide nectar critical to sustaining adult butterflies. The best milkweed selections are species native to your area.
A variety of other nectar sources are also needed. For nectar, you can plant annual, biennial or perennial plants. Continual blooming is critical to the nectar needs of adult butterflies, particularly in the fall when most blooms have subsided and late emerging adults need nectar to prepare for their migration to Mexico. I find Monarchs very attracted to Cosmos, Zinnia and Mexican sunflower, all of which are annual flowers that bloom throughout the season.
If you want to show your support for monarch conservation, you may register your monarch habitat with Monarch Watch at their website at www.monarchwatch.org.
Once you establish your way station, you will need to manage it as you manage any garden. Management can include mulching, weeding, watering, thinning out plants which have volunteered and removing any unwanted or invasive plant species.
If you start in the spring, you should begin seeing Monarchs no later than the middle of the summer.
A monarch on a late blooming perennial, Stokes Aster.