The Monarch Butterfly

The migratory monarch undertakes a feat of navigation and endurance unlike anything else in nature. Each spring one generation flies north laying eggs along the way. Their offspring continue the trek reaching as far as Canada. In the fall a single generation flies 3,000 miles south to winter in Mexico’s oyamel fir forests. The journey is risky Western monarchs have crashed 99 percent from 10 million in the 1980s to fewer than 2,000. Eastern monarchs have fallen over 80 percent since the 1990s. Deforestation of their wintering grounds, systematic eradication of Milkweed from farms, ranches, fields and roadside, and climate change are the main causes. Replanting milkweed, protecting their wintering forests and creating waystations are helping But the state of the species is increasingly fragile In 2022 the IUCN added the migratory monarch to its Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered.

Journey North, WWF

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Plant native milkweed from central Mexico through the U.S. Midwest to southern Canada—the only plant monarchs lay eggs on.

• Grow native nectar flowers like blazing star, coneflower, and goldenrod to feed adult monarchs along their migration routes.

• Avoid pesticides and herbicides, especially neonicotinoids, which kill caterpillars and pollinators.

• Buy FSC-certified paper and wood products to protect overwintering forests in Mexico.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Monarch Watch

• Monarch Butterfly Fund

• Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

• You can also get free milkweed seeds

• Track individual butterflies and record your monarch sightings on the free Project Monarch Science app