Monarch Butterflies

This is the last Monarch that I released this year.   I have been been raising Monarchs from eggs for several years now, but in the last three years several things have happened to our environment to make these beauties become threatened.  Two of the biggest issues are:
1) Violent spring storms have made the annual migration North more difficult.
2) Spraying and cutting down of median and roadside "weeds," including milkweed, which is the only food source of monarch caterpillars,  has even casual observers notice there are far fewer Monarchs than there were just a few years ago.

We can't control the weather, but we can provide safe havens in our gardens for Monarch butterflies and their eggs and larva.

This is milkweed.  Monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves and the caterpillars eat the leaves.  Milkweed has beautiful flowers, and it smells great, too.  It is easy to add it to your cottage garden. 
Your reward will be a constant display of beautiful Monarchs drifting over your garden and sipping the nectar of your flowers.

I want my gardens to be a safe and beautiful haven for birds and butterflies.  Milkweed helps me to do that.