Monarch butterflies have declined sharply over the past few decades, and loss of milkweed across the country is a major reason. Home gardens can help, and few projects are as rewarding as watching a caterpillar you raised on your own plants fly away.
Milkweed: the only host plant
Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed. Without it, monarchs can't reproduce. The best choice is a milkweed native to your region:
- East, Midwest and Northeast: common milkweed, swamp milkweed, butterfly weed.
- Texas and the southern Plains: antelope horns milkweed, a key host for monarchs moving north in spring.
- West: showy milkweed and narrowleaf milkweed.
- Gulf Coast and Florida: aquatic milkweed and butterfly weed.
A word about tropical milkweed
Tropical milkweed is sold widely because it blooms nonstop, but in mild southern climates it stays green all winter. That can encourage monarchs to stop migrating and helps spread a harmful parasite. If you grow it, cut it back to the ground in fall and winter. Native milkweeds are the better choice.
Nectar for adults
Adult monarchs need flowers from spring through fall, and fall nectar is especially important because migrating butterflies fuel up for a trip of up to 3,000 miles. Good fall bloomers include asters, goldenrod, blazing star and mistflower.
Garden habits that help
- Plant milkweed in groups of at least six so caterpillars don't run out of food.
- Skip insecticides, including systemic products applied to nursery plants. Ask whether plants were treated.
- Provide a sunny, sheltered spot. Butterflies warm up in the sun and avoid windy sites.
- Leave some leaf litter and stems over winter for other pollinators.
Choose the "Butterfly garden" collection in the plant explorer to see nectar and host plants for your county, including the milkweeds native to your region.