How to Save Monarch Butterflies

The western monarch butterfly is threatened with extinction. Watch this video to understand why they are disappearing and learn what you can do as a home gardener to help give them a fighting chance at survival.

[@wendyamckeown]

Great advice simply stated. Thanks for sharing!

[@Psangela3]

I planted milkweed and no longer use pesticides and I have monarchs in my garden!! I’m working on getting my garden certified.

[@erlynvasquez1962]

I wish we could go back to the good ol days we're everything was more biodiversity and less influences I did not know why there were less monarch but when going to Google I see why.

[@maxcovfefe]

There used to be more monarchs here... and come to think of it, there used to be more milkweed here too.

[@lepidlover0557]

They are both connected! No milkweed means no Monarchs!
If you notice theres a lack in Monarchs, then that means there's also a lack in milkweeds.

[@MA-zg2pz]

What’s so terrible about the tropical milkweeds?

[@UCMarinMasterGardeners]

Tropical milkweed is non-native to the Bay Area and other temperate locales where it doesn't die back in winter, and may harbor a protozoan parasite of monarch butterflies, Ophryocytis elektroscirrha (OE). OE can travel with the butterflies and become deposited on milkweed leaves. When native milkweeds die back in winter, OE also dies off. When ingested by monarch caterpillars in higher concentrations on leaves that don't go dormant, OE can can cause potentially fatal infections, lower migration success and other issues. It is also believed that the presence of milkweed during the winter migration time can confuse monarchs into breeding at a time when they should be migrating. Thank you for your interest!