Over the last few years many gardeners are taking interest in planting plants that support Monarch butterflies. Gardeners have been adding varieties of the genus Asclepias (milkweed) to their own gardens hoping to entice Monarchs and researchers have been working to better understand the life cycle of the Monarch.

This page benefits from that research and provides links on the work being done to support Monarchs.

At Michigan State University Doug Landis and Nate Haan with Michigan State University are researching how to conserve Monarch butterflies. The links below will take you to some of their research.

- Regrow milkweed for monarchs: A citizen science study
- Monarch research takes flight in a social distancing world
- Diversity in when milkweeds emerge supports monarch butterflies
- Monarch butterfly research update - May 2019

Joe Lamp’l, known to many as joe gardener from “The joe gardener Show”, has done several podcasts about Monarch butterflies. The links below will take you to some of the podcasts he has hosted about Monarch Butterflies.

- Joe Lamp’l interviews Nancy Lawson, Master Naturalist about a new citizen science project, Monarch Rx. This project is researching how Monarchs use decaying plants that contain PA (pyrrolizidine alkaloids). Some of the plants that contain PAs are legumes, aster, dogbanes and borage.
- Joe Lamp’l interviews Dr. Anurag Agrawal, author of Monarchs and Milkweed, discussing the role of milkweed in the life cycle of Monarchs.

Here are other great resources:

- Xerces Society - Monarch Butterfly Conservation
- Michael Boppre’, affiliate with University of Freiburg - The puzzle of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and their association with plants containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids
- Monarch Watch and Monarch Watch - Butterfly Gardening
- The National Wildlife Federation - Monarch Butterfly
- Monarch Joint Venture - Global Distribution Map


Milkweed (Asclepias) Information

- The National Wildlife Federation Blog - Twelve Native Milkweeds for Monarchs
- Xerces Society - Native Milkweeds
- Xerces Society - Regional Milkweed Guides
- Xerces Society - Harvesting Milkweed Seed: A Pod And A Plan
- Bring Back The Monarchs - Milkweed Regions & Seed Needs
- Grow Milkweed Plants - Michigan Native Milkweed Species

Garden Designs with Monarchs in Mind

- Michigan State University Extension - Smart Gardening to support monarchs
- Here By Design - How To Build The Perfect Monarch Butterfly Garden
- Better Homes & Gardens - 7 Essential Elements for Attracting Monarch Butterflies to Your Garden
- Gardenia Creating Gardens - Monarch Nectar Plants for Michigan
- houzz - What Monarch Butterflies Taught Me About Garden Design

Monarch Habitat

- National Geographic - How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop
- Monarch Watch - Monarch Waystation Program
- Monarch Joint Venture - Create Habitat for Monarchs
- NPR (interview) - By Creating Habitats For Monarch Butterflies In Cities, Scientists Hope To Save Them
Xerces Society - Burning The Land (controlled or prescribed burns)

Monarch Caterpillars

- Xerces Society - Keep Monarchs Wild: Why Captive Rearing Isn’t The Way To Help Monarchs
- Monarch Joint Venture - Larva
- Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper - Finding & Identifying Monarchs
- Caterpillar metamorphosis into a monarch butterfly video
- Mission Monarchs - Life Cycle

Books you may enjoy

Butterflies of Michigan, Field Guide by Jaret C. Daniels
Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration by Sara Dykman
Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly by Sue Halpern
Michigan Butterflies & Skippers, A Field Guide and Reference by Mogens C. Nielsen (MSU Extension)
Milkweed, Monarchs And More: A Field Guide to the Invertebrate Community in the Milkweed Patch by Ba Rea and Dr. Karen Oberhauser
Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution by Anurag Agrawal
Raising Butterflies in the Garden by Brenda Dziedzic
The Amazing Monarch: The Secret Wintering Grounds of an Endangered Butterfly By Windle Turley
The Monarch Butterfly: Biology and Conservation (Agora Editions) by Michelle J. Solensky and Karen S. Oberhauser
The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly by Kylee Baumie

Videos and Webinars

- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center - Monarch Butterfly Conservation Webinar Series
- Monarch Joint Venture - Monarch Conservation Webinar Series

Disclaimer - MMGA provides this information for your education, not as an endorsement or recommendation.