Did you know that monarch caterpillars ONLY eat milkweed? The milkweed plant provides all the nourishment the monarch needs to transform the monarch caterpillar into the adult butterfly. But these plants are rapidly disappearing due to the loss of habitat stemming from land development and the widespread spraying of weed killer on the fields where they live.
It’s Easy to Grow Your Own Milkweed
There are many varieties of milkweed. There are some that thrive in full sun, in humid conditions, and even in very dry conditions. Typically blooming rosy pink flowers, they will come back every year despite harsh winter conditions. To find out more about the various species of milkweed and which are best for your area, check out this factsheet courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture.
https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/why-milkweed.html
https://www.earthday.org/what-we-can-do-to-protect-monarch-butterflies/
Headline photo by Jeffrey Hamilton (Unsplash)
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What I'm reading on the bus to Boston this morning: This wild story by @robertianlewis about how, since 2010, nearly half of CA's toxic waste has been trucked out of state to be disposed in places with more lax regulations 👀 https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/01/california-toxic-waste-dumped-arizona-utah/