LISBON –If you plant them they will come. Milkweed, that is! Milkweed and Monarch butterflies have an essential connection because the monarchs only lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant.

Growing milkweed from seed is one of the easiest ways to help declining monarch butterflies. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed monarch butterflies, whose numbers in the ...

Oliver Hernandez poses with a common milkweed plant in his front yard in 2020. A tiny, young monarch caterpillar and even tinier monarch eggs are visible on the underside of a leaf. Across the Midwest ...

Milkweed is famed for being an important plant for the Monarch butterfly, and it may surprise you to know that late fall is an ideal time to start perennial varieties by sowing outdoors. It does work ...

Monarchs, as caterpillars, prefer the leaves of milkweed. Milkweed produces glycoside toxins to deter animals from eating them, monarch have evolved immunity to these toxins. When they feed, monarch ...

Of all the perennials that sprouted up this spring, I was most pleased to see the butterfly weed. After a rough season last year, with deer keeping the plants eaten down to the ground, I wasn’t sure ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In recent years, the monarch butterfly population has decreased by ...

As I crisscross the county this summer to share environmental experiences with students, I can’t help but notice all of the stunning milkweed popping up on properties along the way.I watch in awe as ...