Establish a Monarch Waystation

Did you know that a single monarch butterfly can migrate up to 3,000 miles? That's a lot of ground to cover! This amazing insect makes a fascinating journey, unlike any other butterfly.

- Jennifer Howell

Adult monarchs that hatch in late summer or early fall do not mate or lay eggs-their only job is to migrate south to roosting grounds where they will overwinter. The map below left shows the paths they take. Southbound monarchs stop to feed along the way, storing fat that will sustain them for the flight and throughout the winter in their abdomens. In spring, these same monarchs begin the trip back north, laying eggs on milkweed plants in the southern United States before dying. Newly hatched caterpillars feed on the milkweed. When they reach adulthood, they continue the journey north, feeding and laying eggs along the route until the third or fourth generation reaches the home of its ancestors from the previous year.

This process takes a lot of energy. Loss of wildlife habitat has been detrimental to the monarch, both in nectar plants for adult butterflies and milkweed host sources for feeding caterpillars. Monarch Watch, an education, conservation and research organization dedicated to preserving this butterfly's population, has established the Monarch Waystation program to encourage home and public gardeners to feed and house these insects along their migration routes. You may already have most of the features of a successful waystation in your garden.

Monarch migration