HOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
A few small, easy steps to helping the monarch butterfly. Find more online at latimes.com/plants.
PLANT NATIVE MILKWEED
Monarch caterpillars dine exclusively on milkweed. But it must be the right kind: native milkweed. Tropical milkweed, the orange-flowered non-native variety long favored by nurseries and landscapers, supports parasites that are sickening monarchs. Native milkweed won’t show up in stores until early spring, and we suggest shopping at nurseries that know their native plants (see below). And you don’t need a big fancy garden. A pot of native milkweed on a porch or patio can help.
USE MILKWEED PLANTS WITHOUT PESTICIDES
Some non-organic wholesalers use systemic pesticides to keep aphids and other unattractive bugs off their young milkweed plants, but the caterpillars who eat those plants get sick and/or die. Your options are to buy milkweed plants that are pesticide-free or grow your own. For a deeper dive about growing milkweed, read the Xerces Society’s document, “Milkweeds — A Conservation Practioner’s Guide” and see tips at monarchwatch.com.
BROWSE NATIVE PLANT NURSERIES
Many retail nurseries have a native plant section, but if you’re serious about creating habitat in your garden space, it’s instructive to visit nurseries devoted to native plants, such as the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena, California Botanic Garden’s Grow Native Nursery in Claremont and Artemisia Nursery in the El Sereno area of northeast Los Angeles. Moosa Creek Nursery in Valley Center sells native plants online, which home gardeners can pick up at participating nurseries.
PLANT NECTAR-PRODUCING FLOWERS
Monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed but adult monarchs feed on all kinds of nectarproducing flowers. The Xerces Society has a list of native plants that monarchs love.
GET INVOLVED The Monarch Joint Venture website has a list of ways you can help at
monarchjointventure.org. For instance, you can lobby elected officials about preserving overwintering sites, volunteer at monarch counts or collect data as a community scientist. Another valuable resource: the Xerces Society’s Western Monarch Call to Action at xerces.org.
BUT DON’T RAISE MONARCHS
Many people have started raising monarchs to try to preserve the species, but scientists believe the practice is doing more harm than good, in part because the reared butterflies are often heavily diseased and spread that disease to wild monarchs. “It’s better to help by planting milkweed and nectar flowers, and stopping pesticide use,” Xerces Society’s Emma Pelton said. — Jeanette Marantos