My work patch!

[Bugsy]

I saved my little patch of milkweed at work! Three weeks ago, a women was out cleaning up around the building, cutting and clearing out weeds and such. I happened to be outside during lunch and asked her to please leave the milkweed in one wild corner where it grows. I told her I look for eggs and caterpillars on the plants. She said "caterpillars? yuck!" So I explained that they will grow to be big beautiful monarch butterflies. She left the milkweed alone! It's not a huge patch, but I always find eggs on them, usually the first ones of the season, even years when monarchs aren't that abundant in the area. The next week there were eggs there! I'm so happy for "my" little patch!

[Mona Miller]

I saved my little patch of milkweed at work! Three weeks ago, a women was out cleaning up around the building, cutting and clearing out weeds and such. I happened to be outside during lunch and asked her to please leave the milkweed in one wild corner where it grows. I told her I look for eggs and caterpillars on the plants. She said "caterpillars? yuck!" So I explained that they will grow to be big beautiful monarch butterflies. She left the milkweed alone! It's not a huge patch, but I always find eggs on them, usually the first ones of the season, even years when monarchs aren't that abundant in the area. The next week there were eggs there! I'm so happy for "my" little patch!

I think Monarchs must somehow pattern from one generation to another where they have been. When I release them, I know that I will probably see their great grand children come back thru my yard in the fall. They do have an incredible sense of smell, too.

The Monarch Watch Waystation webpage has a nice brochure that explains the importance of conserving milkweed for wildlife. These can be printed and handout to officials and everyday people who don't know the facts of Monarch life. The nice thing about teaching one person is that they can turn around and teach another.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations ... ochure.pdf
Monarch Waystation Promotional Brochure

It is located in the section called downloads:
http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/download.html