3M's - Monarchs, Milkweed, and Migration

The last of our 131 monarchs headed south on September 22! This year set a personal record for monarchs reared and released; hopefully this number will hold for next year and begin to make up the 90% population loss from the previous ten years.

Why are we seeing such great numbers this year? More milkweed! More people aware of the desperate situation...and more people doing something about it!

Loss of habitat, pesticides, and severe weather have caused a catastrophic decline for monarch populations (and other pollinators).

What can you do? Plant milkweed -- it is the host plant for monarch caterpillars. Plant nectar plants -- these are food for the adults. Plants native to your area are best, so fire up the search engine and get a list. Fall is a great time to spread some

seeds! A few excellent resources are:

monarchwatch.org

xerces.org

theprairieenthusiasts.org

Five new sets of wings ready to fly!