Western Monarch Day

Have you ever had the chance to chase butterflies?? Living in a small rural area I was able to do this and loved it. My favorite butterfly is the brightly colored Western Monarch. This butterfly seems to dance around with grace and beauty. The colors of gold, red, yellow and orange flutter about the area as they do their job of pollinating. The Western Monarch butterfly travels from north east to south west.

These beautiful Western Monarchs are so important to pollinating and keeping the earth balanced. The sad thing is that they are disappearing. It is estimated that 90% of these beautiful butterflies are gone. We can help save these beautiful butterflies that work so hard. There are a few ways that you can help the Western Monarchs survive:

Plant a butterfly garden. Make sure that the plants you use are ones that the Western Monarch can use. Milkweed is an important plant to keep. The milkweed is critical to their survival along the migration routes and provides nectar. With more land being planted the milkweed is disappearing. Fewer monarchs can survive on what is left.

Monarchs have a wingspan up to 4 3/4 inches. They are one of the largest butterflies in North America Depending on where they breed and where they go for the winter Monarch Butterflies can migrate up to 3,000 miles. These beautiful butterflies live all across the U.S. and have been named state butterfly in Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas and West Virginia.


Please consider planting some milkweed in your garden and taking care of these beautiful butterflies