Now Is the Perfect Time to Plant Milkweed and Nectar Plants!

Every day we are getting better and better at Caring for Creation!  We are becoming more and more aware of the beauty, symmetry, and wonder of Creation!  And, we are paying more and more attention to the Blessings we experience every day.

One of the amazing events we have every year is the double migration of Monarch Butterflies.  If the spring Monarchs leave their Winter Home in Mexico and move north, some as far as Canada.  In the fall, Monarchs begin their annual journey back to Mexico.  Due to the short lifespan of a Monarch, it can take 7 sequential “lifetimes” for a single Monarch to reach their winter home in Mexico.

This means hundreds and thousands of Monarch Butterflies need stations between their summer homes and their winter vacation homes.  This is where we, that’s us Human Beings, can make a big difference!  We can provide a great Monarch Waystation in our yards, at our churches, and in our community parks.  It is so simple and easy to do … !!!

This bi-annual monarch migration is one of the world's greatest natural wonders!  However, it is threatened by habitat loss at their wintering grounds in Mexico as well as throughout breeding areas in the United States and Canada.  Spring is the perfect time of year to plant Milkweed that is native to your region along with native nectar plants.

When we plant Milkweed and nectar plants now, then by fall, when hundreds of millions of Monarch Butterflies begin their migration south, they will find the plants they need to reproduce the next generation of Monarchs.  Each successive generation will continue the journey south!  When we plant Milkweed that is native to our region along with native nectar plants, we are providing the ideal stop-over or Waystation for Migrating Monarchs!

Why is this so Important?

Each fall, hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate from the United States and Canada to mountains in central Mexico where they wait out the winter until conditions favor a return flight in the spring. The monarch migration is truly one of the world's greatest natural wonders yet it is threatened by habitat loss at overwintering grounds in Mexico and throughout breeding areas in the United States and Canada.

Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures, and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence the increase or decrease of monarch populations.

Development (of subdivisions, factories, shopping centers, etc.) in the U.S. is consuming habitats for monarchs and other wildlife at a rate of 6,000 acres (9.4 square miles) a day - that's 2.2 million acres each year. This is roughly equivalent to losing an area of habitat the size of the state of Illinois (the 24th largest U.S. state) every sixteen years!

The use of herbicides and frequent mowing along roadsides has converted much of the Monarchs’ habitat to grassy areas that lack shelter and food for wildlife. Although some states have started to increase the number and diversity of milkweeds and nectar plants along roadsides, these programs are relatively small.  The remaining milkweed habitats in pastures, hayfields, edges of forests, grasslands, native prairies, and urban areas are not nearly enough to sustain the large monarch butterfly populations that we saw in the 1990s. 

MONARCHS Need Our Help!

We can make a Big Difference just by planting Native Milkweed along with Native Nectar plants right now!  If we plant this spring and create numerous local Waystations, these amazing Butterflies will continue their migration and flourish.  And, we will be rewarded by renewed populations of Magnificent Monarchs visiting us every Spring and Fall!

To show your support of Monarch conservation, you can also register your Monarch habitat with Monarch Watch as an official Monarch Waystation. Your habitat will be included in the Monarch Waystation Registry, an online listing of Monarch Waystations worldwide!  You will also be awarded a certificate bearing your name and your habitat's unique Monarch Waystation ID number!

To learn more about specific paths of Monarch Migrations and the best native plants for your region, go to … MonarchWatch.org

You can make a Big Difference for Monarchs by working with Creation, and restoring Monarch Habitats!

Mary teaches mindfulness and spiritual practices.

She leads Heart Coherence groups and offers individual coaching.

Through her “Caring for Creation” podcast, she shares practices

for connecting with the earth and our spirituality.