One of the most popular butterflies in the United States is the monarch butterfly with its orange and black double set of wings. You may know how to spot them, but did you know monarchs are in trouble?  Here’s what you can do to help monarch butterflies.

Let’s Get Started

Here are 5 things you can do to be a hero for monarch butterflies.

Great!

Great!

 1. Plant native milkweed. The best thing you can do for monarch butterflies is plant native milkweed. Monarch caterpillars only eat native milkweed. So monarchs need it to complete their life cycle.

Amazing!

Amazing!

2. Say no to pesticides. If you have a garden–big or small–make sure you and your family don’t use toxic pesticides or herbicides. These toxic chemicals kill butterflies, caterpillars, and the milkweed caterpillars need to eat.

Wonderful!

Wonderful!

3. Create a pollination station. Along with milkweed, butterflies love many other colorful flowers like sunflowers, coneflowers, and bluebells. Find out which native flowers are best to plant in your area to provide the nectar that monarchs love.

Fantastic!

Fantastic!

4. Learn about monarchs. Discover Monarchs, map their migration route, and how to look for them in your neighborhood.

Great!

Great!

5. Spread the word. Share your love and knowledge for monarchs with your friends and family. The more people doing these simple activities, the more help monarchs will get!

Document Your Discoveries

Martha Hitchiner | Monarch from Chrysalis
  1. Draw or describe what you did to help monarchs in your Nature Notebook.
  2. Report your monarch sighting to Journey North.

Bonus: Show us how you’re helping monarchs on social media using the hashtag #GreenHour.

 

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