Help Monarch Butterflies By Building A Migration Waystation Catherine Greenleaf

Help Monarch Butterflies By Building A Migration Waystation

Catherine Greenleaf

Imagine walking outside to find station. This spot should provide plants dozens of Monarch butterflies fluttering with full sun (6-8 hours a day). Scientifover the native plants in your backyard ic studies show a large circle of colorful next summer. A beautiful sight, indeed! nectar-filled native flowers of 15-20 feet in With a little planning over the winter, you diameter will successfully grab the attencan create a migration waystation in your tion of Monarchs flying overhead. garden and help Monarchs as they make Step Three is to surround the perimtheir long journey south to Mexico in the eter of this circular area with at least 2-3 late summer and fall. dozen milkweed plants. The milkweed

When helping Monarchs, it’s always wise should not be more than 20-25 feet away to take a three-pronged approach. Step from the waystation. Stay away from nonOne is to make your garden attractive all native Tropical milkweed and instead stick season long to any meandering Monarchs with the plants native to the Northeast, by offering ready sources of nectar from like Common milkweed, Swamp or Rose plants. Some good choices include Echi- milkweed and Poke milkweed, to ensure nacea, bee balm, mountain mint, spirea, the quicker establishment and a higher boneset, and hyssop. survival rate. Milkweed also prefers a sun-

Step Two: once you have attracted Mon- ny spot with 6-8 hours of sun each day. archs to your yard, you will want to provide Why is milkweed so important? The them with the ideal spot for egg-laying Monarch will only lay her eggs on milkand chrysalis formation. Prepare a large, weed plants. You will find these eggs on circular gardening bed and plant native the underside of the leaves. Once the eggs perennial flowers to feed the Monarchs hatch, the larvae start munching on the with nectar once they emerge from the leaves and stems of the milkweed, basically chrysalis along with any Monarchs that chomping them down to stripped stems. are already migrating. This is your way- The larvae grow as they eat and once they have developed into a caterpillar then journey to find an appropriate spot to form a chrysalis. Once the Monarch emerges from its chrysalis as a full-fledged butterfly, it dries off in the sun and then immediately looks for native perennial flowers that provide the nectar they desperately need to survive. If your circular bed is nearby, they will find it.

In your circle garden plant several dozen native Joe Pye Weed plants. These native perennials can reach a height of eight feet, and their bright pink flowers serve as a homing beacon for Monarchs. Monarchs have a strong preference for the nectar of Joe Pye Weed and will flock to the area where you have planted them. It’s not unusual to see 50-60 Monarchs clustered on Joe Pye Weed in a single afternoon.

Alongside the Joe Pye Weed also plant large clusters of fragrant and showy longblooming pink and white Phlox. Another vital plant is native yellow Goldenrod, along with native Aster, especially New England Aster with its pretty purple and pink flowers. Goldenrod and Aster are irresistible to Monarchs and essential to their survival. All of these plants resow quite readily from seeds every year, so you will only have to buy the plants once and watch nature do the rest.

It’s also important to plant native trees near your waystation that offer nighttime roosting sites and help shelter Monarchs from strong winds and torrential rains. The flat evergreen leaves of Eastern Red Cedar provide crucial protection and are highly recommended by butterfly experts.

The time to order native plants and seeds is now. Most native growers take their orders for the coming spring during the winter months, so you’ll want to get on the catalog mailing list of your favorite native plant provider.

Be sure the seeds or plants you buy have not been treated with insecticides like deadly neonicotinoids. Stick with organic mail-order seed companies like Wild Seed Project in Portland, Maine, or organic plant businesses like Northeast Pollinator Plants in Fairfax, Vermont, or Bagley Pond Perennials in Warner, New Hampshire.

If you’re planning to start native seeds for the spring, do so in January. Fill plant pots with organic potting soil and plant seeds thickly at roughly the depth of the size of the seed. Cover the soil with a layer of coarse horticultural sand and place outdoors for the winter. Cover the pots with screens to keep away critters. Starting your seeds outside will allow the scarification process to take place which occurs due to a winter’s many freezes and thaws.

Catherine Greenleaf is the director of St. Francis Wild Bird Center in Lyme, N.H. If you find an injured bird, please call (603) 795-4850.