How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop | National Geographic
Habitat loss and the destruction of native plants have been responsible for the rapid decline of the monarch butterfly, the most recognized butterfly in North America. To help protect these majestic insects as they migrate, citizens in the U.S. are resorting to a simple yet powerful tool: gardening. Gardens full of milkweed and nectar plants can serve both as rest stops for adult monarchs and as nurseries for their eggs.
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Read more about the challenges monarch butterflies face as milkweed declines:
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FIELD PRODUCER AND VIDEOGRAPHER: Fritz Faerber
SENIOR PRODUCER: Jeff Hertrick
EDITOR: Jennifer Murphy
How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop | National Geographic
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Here in Monterrey, Mexico, a lovely grandpa gives away 10,000 milkweed plants every year. He doesn’t ask for a single cent, but for us to take care of the plants, eggs, caterpillars and monarchs!
Watch for the seed pods your plant will produce. Once the pod splits open a tiny bit you can take the seeds out and plant them!
So last summer was the first summer that I planted my own large garden. And the #1 thing I wanted was sunflowers, so I planted a bunch. I didn’t realize how much monarch butterflies love sunflowers. I had hundreds of butterflies, drinking the nectar, caterpillars eating the leaves, and cocoons everywhere. It was amazing to show my 2 year all of these butterflies because I personally have not seen so many in one area since I myself was a very young child. I’m excited for next year, I purchased 2000 milkweed seeds for my butterflies for next year. It will be like walking into a wonderland next spring 💕💕 my next step is to help our honey bees. Make our world a better place for our children, it’s time to stop being such selfish people. By simply planting flowers you could change your whole environment. Not just for the animals, but you will be teaching your children very valuable life lessons. By helping others, you too are helping yourself
It is not just the commercial farmer that is at fault but the Home Owners Associations that do not allow wildflower patches and homeowners who need to have everything perfect in their landscape. If every subdivision would designate one lot or drainage ditch as do not mow wildlife habitat and allow the native wildflowers to grow unencumbered, Not just the milkweed but the thistles that the wrens and finches use for food and nesting materials, the long blooming flowers that the bees and hummer's need for food, the messy trees that drop nuts and things that the deer and wild turkeys feed on. The wet moist areas that grow bulrushes that the redwing blackbirds need for their nests, The standing dead treas that are in an area that will not harm anything as they slowly fall down for the woodpeckers and other hollow tree nesting birds and animals. The gardener that keeps out all wildlife from his/her garden instead of planting some for them. The person who mulches with rocks or bare dirt instead of live mulches that harbor insects and amphibians (away from the house) and their food sources. True nature is messy and it reuses everything it drops. The trees mine the minerals from deep and drop the leaves to refresh the topsoil. The litter on the forest floor keeps in moisture and harbors the fauna the plants need to survive. It is only when man intervenes that things go haywire. The grass lawns that we keep are a leftover from the palaces of England where a person showed wealth by how much of their land they could waste in green lawns for games and other pastimes. The commoners used every inch of their allotted land to grow food for the family (cottage Garden) The world worries about carbon release into the air The trees and plants will help that, especially if they are incorporated into the soil as mulch when they die or need to be trimmed down. Instead of bagging grass clippings and carting them off to the landfill Use them to mulch your beds and paths. or just mulch where it is. If you keep the thickness to about 2" at a time it will dry out turn silver or tan and decompose at a good rate the first 2" will take only 2 weeks after that it will decompose faster if there is moisture. After one summer the areas will be full of worms and insects to feed the birds. Enough of this for today
3 year old post and still worth reading over and over! Thank you!
wow love your post..learned a lot...we do leave our grass clippings in our yard...we keep bananas,sugar water,etc for butteflies, grow yellow flower plants to attract bees.. leave space under our fence so rabbits and other critters can eat, compost with utmost dedication and use that black gold to feed our veggie garden...every bit counts...when we take care of our Mother Earth, she multiplies our joy an our life with so much color and creation:) God bless good souls everywhere... going to share your post with my kids...they love nature and animals/birds :)
I’m saving this video just because of your comment. So much detail and information, everything you say is absolutely amazing. Thank you for your information, i will keep this in mind for my garden next year 💕
You probably expected more likes
There is a lot of pain in your message and it touched my heart with the truth. Thank you for this. We humans are specifically dumb, invasive mammals who are just so selfish and can't think of others humans let alone another species. We have evolved into hot garbage!
I began a native plant garden a couple years back, for the monarch, among many other creatures. A native garden supports all kinds of insects and animals. I highly recommend it. Beyond their importance, they also look great!
At the end of the Monarch season, early October, my wife and I released 210 Monarchs from our small suburban yard in NW Ohio. Really enjoyed this video!
great job!
Robert Morton g
Those are probably some of the ones I am seeing here in deep South Texas near the Mexican border...they are beautiful indeed.
Thank you!
We're in northeast Ohio, just started raising ours this year. We've released 5 so far, have another ~20 chrysalides, and another ~30 caterpillars in different stages.
You need at least 4-5 plants to start! They are hungry! But now I'm starting to feel motherly !
Because my home is a lakefront home in South Florida, there are many predators...frogs, birds & lizards. So instead of planting my milkweed, I keep them in pots. Once I see that the caterpillars have emerged, I transfer the pot indoors into a guest room. By doing this, I ensure that the caterpillars all have a fighting chance at survival. Since May, I've successfully released 56 butterflies. Due to a pre-planned trip to Bend, Oregon, I had to transfer 8 caterpillars and 59 chrysalises to Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida where they will properly care for them. Once I return home, I'm sure I'll have new eggs on the potted milkweeds in my backyard and the entire process will begin again! :) I may however change things a bit and place the pots inside a secure mesh hamper outdoors and let nature take it's course. I know that while in the hamper, the frogs, lizards and birds will not be able to eat the caterpillars. I can still water the plants in the pots and I also have a plastic potting dish to capture the excess water. Once the caterpillar is ready to attach, it can make it's way up to the top of the mesh hamper to form it's "j" and the metamorphosis process will ultimately complete once the chrysalis forms and the butterfly emerges. Just love this journey I'm on and the end result...the monarch butterfly is worth the time I put into this process.
excellent!
That's wonderful !!! I do something very similar to that as well. In one season, I released over 300 Monarch butterflies. I'm currently showing the process to my grandson, who absolutely loves it. Perhaps as he gets older, he can follow my lead to help flourish these beautiful butterflies.
Nuvia Sutton same! I have only raised around 45 and it is the end of the season, so I have 1 cat and 6 crysallis.
I started this exact process in 2016, and friends and family thought I lost my mind at first, built a 15x15x7 mesh habitat cage, bought yards of mesh, sewed all seems with reinforcement material, frame is made of PVC tubing, and numerous swamp milkweed plants, all in big 2.5x2.5 pots.This has been the most exciting, best breath taking experience to mother these magnificent, fascinating creatures in my own back yard all summer long. Since I was a child, I have been absolutely obsessed with the life cycle and stages of the monarch. For 5 yrs in elementary to jr High, my project was always on the monarch, with new info.. which got me the nickname "butterfly" since I was 7 ish.. I'm in Canada, and all anyone needs is milkweed plants in their yard!
Thank you so much!
Their life cycle is incredible
My monarch waystation number is in the 3000s. The current number of waystations is in the 35,000 range. Our raindrops are adding up!!! 😊
I just started germinating milkweed seeds for my backyard. I used to see them everywhere when I was a kid, so I know they migrate through here. I hope my little backyard will help. I’m also going to grow some for my neighbors and encourage them.
Great idea. I had lots of milkweed in Florida but I moved to Alabama. I haven’t seen a single monarch so my aunt sends me seeds from her plants, and I started growing them. In a couple years I hope to have as many monarchs in my yard as I had in Florida.
This is nice to see homeowners doing things for the monarch butterflies for I love them so keep it up!
Do your part! Plant milkweed. It’s easy to grow and the mature plant produces seed pods which you can take the seed and plant!
Thank you for the video. I'm 22 years old, I plant many plants to attract both bees and butterflys. I wasn't aware the monarchs were decreasing in numbers, this inspires me to keep doing what I'm doing, but also try to start raising them as well.
It’s very rewarding. Milkweed is their host plant. They get nectar from the flowers, lay eggs, and the caterpillars eat ever leaf off the plant till it’s just a stalk...the leaves grow right back....then they will find a place to make themselves into a chrysalis, and within a few days a butterfly emerges. Please plant milkweed, and lots if it. And keep watch for the seed pod. Once the seed pot begins to split, take it from the plant and plant the seeds. The more you have the more butterflies you’ll have
Make sure to plant local native species of milkweed. Check your local plant society or conservationists group if you want to find out which one to plant in your area.
Naturally, milkweeds are vital as plants for the Monarchs to lay their eggs, as well as good nectar plants. Don't forget other sources of nectar though, I have good luck seeing Monarchs on: Anise Hyssop, Buddleia and Tithonia. These plants also serve well as food for various kinds of bees.
I just want to make a good KZhead video .
Yes!! I'm 63 and I remember the same article and was touched by the monarchs also! I love them!
Plant milkweed please. They must have it to survive
Ive released over 200,000,000 monarchs or more since 1954
Marion Cobretti god bless u❤️
Marion Cobretti That is amazing! Our grandchildren have helped me raise Monarchs and the Eastern black swallowtail for the past 25 yrs. We have made a lot of great memories and I made a photo album documenting all of it.
Thank you for helping the monarchssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
that’s incredible!
Thank you so much!
I used to see them all the time but now they've literally been completely gone in NW PA. It's sad really there used to be tons. It hit me when I was at a football practice and saw one and a teammate named Jeb chased it down to watch it and he said "Those are like gone now" so now I'm gonna plant some milkweed.
I can remember as a child in the 60's, my Gma lamenting that the farmers didn't leave the edges of their fields unplowed to keep the milkweed habitat there and saying we'd lose the Monarchs because of it. Any community can encourage their electric companies to plant milkweed/pollinator plants in their right-of-way zones. Boise, Idaho here doing my part.
I think monarch butterflies and the caterpillars as well are amazing critters and monarch watch is just as amazing as the critters
I did the same this summer! I have planted so many plants this summer. I have at a time 5-7 monarch butterflies in my backyard.
Watch for the seed pods. Once they split open you can take the seeds and plant them or give them away to people who don’t know about the monarchs endangerment.
I plan on planting a bunch of milkweed plants in my yard next spring. As a kid I used to see milkweed in the wild but to be honest, I have not seen a plant in years.
That's GREAT Panthera! Thanks!
My mom’s entire backyard is milkweed. She had thousands of butterflies. She gives me her seed pods and now I have plants and butterflies in my yard. Lots if caterpillars munching away. It’s beautiful
They also need nectar plants to feed them as an adult
As a kid. I think we had a bit of a cold winter rain, in Los Angeles county; on the old passion Fruit vine my grandfather had planted on the side of their house was just crazy covered with cocoons of monarchs... I'll never forget it because I don't remember seeing it again. Between 1965 and 69... it was amazing they were all over her yard not too far from the end of the Santa Fe trail...
I planted a patch of milkweed and butterfly weed in my yard last year. I also have a large variety of native pollinator plants. Everyone should have some in their yard. I also do not use any pesticides what so ever.
Watch for the seed pods. Once they split open a tiny bit, take it, remove the seeds and plant them! The more milkweed, the more butterflies!
@@alexsinclaire8894 Thanks. I'm going to plant a patch of swamp milkweed on the side of my house. I've not had any luck with butterfly weed coming back.
On my farmstead I keep patches of Milkweeds around even mowing around them to keep them alive. This year I have actually seen caterpillars on them. I've had plants for over 10 years now. It was the patch in the front yard that showed me it was working.
That is FANTASTIC Peter! Thanks SO MUCH for keeping those milkweed patches around and helping out the Monarch butterfly! Now if we can get the rest of the farmers like you to get on-board, it would make a HUGE difference!! Thanks again and the Monarchs thank you as well! John with Monarch Waystation #9392.
Keep watch for the seed pods the plants produce. Once the pod splits you can take it from the plant and put the seeds in the ground so you can have more.
Thanks. Planning on creating a monarch habitat in my backyard
Beautiful.Thankyou.
wow, nice wonderful video. i didn't realize how widespread they are. i just bought two milkweed plants yesterday and will get more varieties as the nursery gets them in. it is such an easy thing for me to do as they were in great numbers in our town, my garden is full of salvias and other nectar plants and i never realized i could be a monarch rancher and restock the supplies. looking forward to getting my first larva.
Watch for the seed pods the plants produce. Once they split you can take the seeds out and stick them in the ground. The more plants, the more monarch’s!
Where's the "How to" part of "How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop..."
MJE 1:38-2:22 you smooth-brained bozo.
Simple...plant milkweed silly
I am very amazed at all those beautiful butterflies. Nicole you look great in that hair style. At 0.22 where was that filmed please? ta blesses Arek
Bought 3 milkweed plants today from Home Depot hope to see some butterflies soon!
www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2016/04/monarch_butterfly_wwf_cornell.html
Keep watching. Once the plant matures it produces a seed pod. Once it splits you can take the seeds out and plant them for more.
I wish I could have that plants in Australia. Leaves is nice and big room for caterpillar. In Australia have native milkweeds but kinda different the leaves is tiny. I do breeds Monarch over many years.
Thanks. I’m doing my part by creating a Monarch station in my yard.
Thank you. Me too
Ma'am can I ask a permission to use your video in some portion where the monarch butterflies are flying? I will using it in my presentation on Tuesday Feb 26, 2018. Thank you so much.
I just started my own butterfly garden. I have two Milkweed plants and plan to get more. If the human race die butterflies will survive, but if butterflies and other pollinators die then the human race dies as well.
Your plant will produce seed pods. Watch for them! Once they split a tiny hit take it, get the seeds out and plant them!
I have a Monarch visiting my Milkweed plant, I noticed that you took the caterpillar while on the leaves and separated it from the plant. Should I do that with mine. How long will it be before I see a caterpillar? I have two milkweed plants but it seems to prefer the pink and not the orange milkweed. Can you give me advice on what else I can plant that they like and do I need to put water near by. I noticed that Wasp and some kind of small bee looking insect also like the milkweed. Thanks for any advice you can give me.
it's easy to plant milkweed. just go to Walmart get a jiffy seeder green house box and seeds. follow directions and plant after a few weeks.
AWESOME, I LOVE NATURE and tha SCIENCE there of.
Please plant milkweed! It’s easy to grow from seed
@@alexsinclaire8894 it's not like I got a poccet full of milkweed seeds, lol, also milkweed isn't the only thing Monarch Butterfly enjoy
@@MACCMEEZE monarchs like many flowers, but milkweed is their host plant. They lay their eggs on it, and the caterpillars eat only milkweed. So you’re wrong. And it’s spelled pocket not poccot. If you cared you could easily find milkweed seeds.
@@alexsinclaire8894 I didn't spell pocket, "poccot" and it's not easy to obtain milkweed seeds, so you're wrong.
@@MACCMEEZE I don’t remember asking for your opinion, so kindly STFU
love what they are doing here butterfly's should be everywhere worldwide!
Do your part...plant milkweed!
They are soo beautiful
If you plant milkweed they will come. Please plant milkweed
Means every body cant have a perfectly manicured. Yard. Its insane. There is hardly any wild places left no woods with blueberrys or wild strwberrys
I would love to raise monarchs.. I never see them or milkweed in this part of Kentucky..
Plant milkweed and they will come! Get some seeds or find a nursery. Without milkweed they cannot survive. Once mature the plant produces seed pods which you can take and plant. Please plant milkweed ASAP!
I've seen a lot of monarch butterflies around long beach california.
Without milkweed they cannot survive. Please plant milkweed in a pot or garden.
I am planning to start an initiative to plant milkweed plants with 200 other volunteers in Toronto, Ontario. Do any of you have any suggestions, help, tips that can be helpful for me? A step by step guide as to what I can do will be really appreciated, thanks!
monarch joint venture is a great starting place!
Milkweed is easy to grow from seed. It takes a couple years for it to mature. It produces seed pods which you can take from the plant once it splits open, and just plant the seeds
I collect, raise, & release them every year. I'm going to build a small, walk-in enclosure. I befriend them, & my granddaughter helps me name, & release them. David was the last to fly away in October!
Had me look up "canary in the corn field".
That was an above the ground reference to Coal mining where the miners would carry a canary in a cage with them because they were more sensitive to the mine gas and would die first If the canary was alive it was OK to stay if it started to die it was time to leave.
_The Monarch Will be Crowned_
And here we are in 2022 with the monarch butterfly officially declared as an endangered species, these people knew something years ago that our wildlife is under attack due to prolific pesticide use and loss of habitat!
I have 126 seedlings so far. I might have to raise the caterpillars indoors though. Lots of birds and lizards in my yard :)
did you get a lot of Monarchs?
All seedlings died so I bought 4 milkweed plants. After 5 months I finally got 1 caterpillar. 2 days later it's gone! I'm thinking wormy got eaten by a lizard :(
i doubt that maybe a hedgehog when plants are small although the caterpillar is very smart,what few predators its got it has a defense always goes to top of plant at night or hops on fence
Am really tring to grow milkweed but my soil is to sandy even with potting mix What can I do to help it grow. Tankyou.
Milkweed isn’t fussy. Sandy soils is fine. It needs sun, and lots if water. Try starting the seed in pots then carefully transplant to the garden. Give the seedlings some fertilizer too.
Please help me because I haven't seen any milkweed around here and would love to have some. I live in West Tennessee.
You can find seed on Amazon, but really it’s best if you find a local nursery that has established plants. Once the plant is mature it produces a seed pod which you can take the seeds from to plant more. The monarchs really need the host plant to get nectar, lay eggs, the caterpillars will eat the leaves leaving just the stalk, but they grow right back, and then they will find a place to hang to form the pupa then a butterfly. Try to find seed or a plant from a nursery.
I’ve got 3 monarch caterpillars in my garden now munching away on milkweed. My question is do I need to put out something for them to cocoon on or will they take off and find their own spot?
They’ll find their own spot but it’s helpful if you have other plants with big leaves for them to use. They like to hide so the birds don’t get at them. Even if you put some driftwood or some kind Of something they can hang from. I’ve seen them hanging from my screens, dioorways etc but they really need a lush garden to hide in the leaves to hang. I hope this helps!
Monarch butterflies are officially endangered as of July 2022... I am here looking for resources to teach my students about them. It is so sad to see how they've been warning us for years.. and how optimistic they were.
Follow Wahsi Squad on social media as we raise awareness about Monarch Butterflies! We are dedicated to raising awareness to local communities and schools about creating and designating Monarch butterfly habitats.
can't find you on twitter ??
Where can I buy Milkweed and other plants that attract them?
I found some on Amazon but I had no luck. Best to go to a nursery and buy a plant that’s already thriving. The plant produces seed pods once mature, and once the pod starts to open you want to take it from the plant and plant the seeds. It’s a wonderful experience to see them lay their eggs, and the caterpillars are beautiful. They’ll eat every single leaf off the plant, grow big then go transform into a puppy and then a butterfly. Once they eat the leaves, they grow right back so leave the plant alone. No pesticides if any kind around or it will kill them. Milkweed is the only plant that is their host plant. Without it, the butterflies will become extinct.
Look on utube or research monarch butterfly plants. I grow butterfly Bush as well but there’s many plants that feed them but milkweed is what feeds the caterpillars. Must have milkweed, and lots if it.
florida friendly ;Landscaping
I been raising monarch butterflies here in Hawaii. Never really gettired of it, its been 5 years. No luck with milkweed except i have huge trees of crown flower plants which are prolific here in Hawaii...they dont migrate. I wonder if they will migrate if mixed with mainland US monarch butterflies?
They don't migrate bc Hawaii is a tropical, warm region. The butterflies in my area migrate because they can't survive the winters like other species can
We are responsible... Eric Underwood Class of 81 Downey High school CA
We have some milkweed and the first year we got tons of caterpillars. Now after two consecutive seasons none. Why?
Pesticides and more habitat loss. There may have been other resources AROUND where you live that helped draw the Monarchs to your property, but if those habitats are destroyed or poisoned while the Monarchs are coming through, you have less chance of attracting them ☹️😔
i had a roundup commercial before this
Roundup kills pollinators. It should be outlawed
Does anyone realise she is wearing monarch butterfly earings
Very good chance they're synthetic. I have a pair of chrysalis earrings and people have asked me if they were real!!!
National Geographic sure is posting a fuck ton of videos today! #spammingtoday
Just make sure you have nectar flowers nearby for butterflies to feed on. Only caterpillars need Milkweed. Where I am, the milkweed doesn't always flower, but the Monarchs love the flowers and bushes we have and then move right beside and lay eggs on milkweed.
That’s false information! Milkweed is the monarchs host plant! The monarchs feed from the flower nectar, lay their eggs, and the caterpillars eat the leaves then hang to form chrysalis, then emerge a butterfly. Please do not spread misinformation!
Is there any reason the video doesn’t encourage the use of Native Milkweed?
"Canary in the cornfield"?
I am so glad someone else noticed that!
Well it’s June 8 2021 and I’ve seen 0 butterflies yet. I think it’s this phone radiation. I’ve also seen about 15 flying insects !
What. If. Get. Head. Wind
Absolutely NO INFORMATION On The "How", this video is nothing but the "What"?
Just find some seed and grow. It’s easy
Anyone else here because of Donna Klein?
My name is DanielMiddle my middle name is Wayne my neck my last name is Eldred
canary in the corn field? 😂...it's canary in the coal mine.
My sweet husband tried to tell me "he probably means because they're related to crops". He's very optimistic.
The US is not the only place Monarchs live. The fact that there's only 20 odd years worth of data supporting the alleged disappearance of the species is too little data on which to base any conclusions. Who knows if the starting count was routine, exceptional, lower than normal? We just don't know. But you can be assured of one thing: activists will ensure that the government will get involved to destroy property owners' rights to preserve a species that might well be on the way out anyway. And if it is, the government certainly won't give back the rights it claimed to preserve the animal. And if it isn't, the activists and government will surely claim it was their active intervention (read: appropriation of property-owners' rights) that saved the butterfly. Folks who are very passionate about nature and saving species frequently are the last people who nature and evolution to actually function in the way it traditionally does. I think the Monarch is pretty and iconic too. I have my milkweed patch to try to help, but we can't pick winners and losers in evolution and we do a damn poor job of it because we are too impatient to wait for data. We think "do something, even if it is ineffectual, disruptive of legal rights, or even perhaps ultimately harmful to the very thing we're trying to save." Adapt or die. That's the rule.
But need to see the glass half full. The use of pesticides not only affects insects, but it also affects us eventually. Ignoring the dead canary in the coal mine would be foolish to all.
I have a pet butterfly her name is Sheema but I also have 4 cats so I don't let her out of her plastic see through box
If she doesn’t have milkweed she won’t survive. They need nectar, and milkweed to live.
What we really need to do is to end capitalism.
Son tan brutos que siempre se les olvida que el idioma Español es la segunda lengua mas hablada del planeta ..Lo mas probable es que tampoco lo saben..Pongan subtítulos en Español en todos los vídeos.
Nothing!! About how to plant a rest stop.. lieing title
Just get some seeds and plant them. It’s easy to grow
SPAM
AYOOOO DID SHE SAY SHE waS TOUCHED WHEN SHE WAs A KID SHE WAs VIOLATED AYOOOOO
there not iconic in America they live in Hawaii, New Zealand and America
shut up we need them anyway
shut your self up
no you shutup
I hope your manables are suffocating I was just trying to be helpful!!!
no im just fine
SPAM
SPAM