Want to contribute to monarch butterfly conservation and help ensure that monarch migration continues in North America? If so, then get involved with Monarch Waystations, a citizen science research project that is part of the broader outreach program, Monarch Watch. By building and maintaining a Monarch Waystation, you can provide habitats for monarch butterflies and other species of pollinators that are rapidly declining as a result of urban sprawl, road side management, and pesticides.

The host plants for monarch larvae are milkweeds, which have been declining due to agricultural expansion, development, and the increased use of herbicides in pastures, croplands, and roadsides. In order to offset the loss of milkweeds as well as nectar sources, monarch/milkweed habitats need to be planted and protected. The aim of the Monarch Waystations campaign is to create at least 10,000 Monarch resource patches, or waystations, over the next three years.

As monarchs migrate north during the spring and summer, they need milkweeds along the route to lay their eggs on. During the fall, monarchs need resources such as nectar in order to make the southward migration to Mexico. Waystations are resource-rich monarch habitats that serve as intermediate stations along the monarch’s migration routes. Waystations can be built in home gardens, parks, schools, along fields and roadsides, nature centers, and unused plots of land.

Monarch butterflies need your help. If you are interested in creating a restored habitat that supports monarchs and other wildlife please visit the Monarch Waystation web site.