P1050254 Monarch on a Milkweed Seed Pod

The first Monarch I've seen this summer in the Catskills and it occurred in August. The WWF reports the Eastern migratory monarch butterfly is at risk. New...
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The first Monarch I've seen this summer in the Catskills and it occurred in August. The WWF reports the Eastern migratory monarch butterfly is at risk. New reports show a sharp population decline and a loss of habitat in the forests, in Mexico, where they winter each year. In just one year, the presence of monarch butterflies in their wintering grounds dropped 22%, from 7 acres to nearly 5.5. acres. This is part of a mostly downward trend over the past 25 years—when monarchs once covered more than 45 acres of forest. Encroachment on this migratory habitat and climate change are considered reasons for this change. As milkweed is the only plant on which monarchs will lay their eggs and the only source of food for baby caterpillars, we are urged to plant milkweed during their annual summer residence in the northern US.
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