05/31/2026
MILKWEED! Yes, we welcome wild natural Milkweed in our gardens and this afternoon I was thrilled to see a baby Monarch larvae! Seems to be a very good year for milkweed as they have sprouted up all through our gardens and wild meadow.
Monarch butterfly larvae (caterpillars) are the second stage of the monarch life cycle. They hatch from tiny eggs and exist exclusively as eating machines to grow. They famously feed solely on milkweed plants, making them toxic to most predators, before eventually forming a chrysalis.
Monarch butterflies are rapidly declining due to loss of habitat and use of pesticides. Growing milkweed is the most effective way to help because it is the only plant that sustains a monarch through each of its life stages. It also produces a chemical that makes monarchs toxic and bitter-tasting to some of their predators.
“The bottom line is, if milkweed disappears, so will monarchs,” says Laura Lukens, who works as a national monitoring coordinator for the Monarch Joint Venture, a partnership of American federal, state and other organizations. “Home gardeners have a huge role to play in providing habitat for monarchs, pollinators and other wildlife. Residential properties have the potential to contribute many thousands—maybe even millions—of acres of habitat.”
