Help save the monarch butterfly!
Does your garden have a monarch waystation? Monarch butterflies are declining in numbers and are becoming more and more reliant on gardens across America. These beautiful butterflies need plants that provide nectar that can sustain them during migration. They also need milkweed plants to lay eggs on and, as we all know, monarchs are a bit particular in this regard—these milkweeds need to be the native ones that the monarch butterfly has evolved with. Once the eggs have hatched, these particular milkweeds are then munched on by their growing larvae (caterpillars), building up that “nice” toxic flavor for monarch would-be predators. And finally, monarch butterflies need plants that can provide shelter.
You can start creating your own monarch habitat today!
Showy milkweed seedlings for monarch egg-laying and caterpillar snacks have just been added to our online native plant store! New 6-packs of showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) seedlings are selling for the special discounted price of $7 per 6-pack!
Other available plants (also now at discounted prices) that can help create your monarch waystation and support other butterfly species include:
- California buckeye (Aesculus californica)
- Spice bush (Calycanthus occidentalis)
- Santa Barbara sedge (Carex barbarae)
- Wild blue rye (Elymus glaucus)
- Buckwheats (Eriogonum spp.)
- Common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum)
- California hibiscus, rosemallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos)
- Silver bush lupine (Lupinus albifrons)
- Coyote mint (Monardella villosa)
- Black sage (Salvia mellifera)
- California aster (Symphyotrichum chilense)
- California grape (Vitis californica)
Buy these and more before the end of the sale at 4 PM on Friday, May 14, 2021, at our online native plant store at:
https://cnps-shasta.square.site/
Interesting note about monarchs: the adults only feed when in the sun. Good to know!
Happy gardening with monarchs! ~The Propagation Team