Monarchs on the Milkweed

Are you seeing a lot of Monarch butterflies this fall? If so, know that someone nearby, maybe a neighbor, has done a good job providing these nomadic wanderers food to make the long journey to Mexico.

And you can do the same thing in your own yard.

First, The Big News!

The CB Greenspace Community Garden on Washington Avenue and the Rain Garden at the Community Center at 717 Marshall Avenue have each been recognized as Monarch WayStations by MonarchWatch.org. They are listed on a worldwide database established in 1992 to track Monarch movements.

The milkweed at the Community Center was planted more than 10 years ago to attract pollinators (Monarch butterflies) and beneficial insects to the vegetable gardens. This year, for the first time, CB Greenspace is officially tracking the Monarchs who visit our garden.

This has been a busy year for the Community Garden Monarchs, with at least 10 of them in chrysalis, or what people commonly call cocoon, visible from the fence surrounding the garden. Many more may be hiding in leaves and other plants in the garden. It will take between 8 and 14 days for the butterflies to hatch. We are watching them closely to tag them with MonarchWatch barcodes, so we are asking residents not to disturb them. Please do not remove the milkweed leaves either. Some Monarchs may still be munching on it.

If you would like to create your own Monarch WayStation, you will need at least 10 milkweed plants in your garden, have other pollinator plants nearby and a plan for how to maintain your growing area. (MonarchWatch does not certify butterfly houses or Monarchs raised in captivity, only native outdoor sites).

To access the worldwide registry of Monarch WayStations and to learn  more about the tagging program, you may visit this site. Monarch Watch