Butterflies

 Butterflies are important neighbors to have in our gardens.They help plants produce seeds by pollinating flowere. 

Monarch butterflies are considered by many people to be the most beautiful of all butterflies, and are called the “king” of the butterflies, hence the name “monarch”. All butterflies go through a life cycle that transforms their bodies. Read more about the amazing transformation of the Monarch here.

The Monarch butterfly is sometimes called the "milkweed butterfly" because its larvae eat the plant. In fact, milkweed is the only thing the larvae can eat!

But monarchs are losing places to find food and lay their eggs. Scientists are trying to learn more about what is happening to them. 

You can help! The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) is a citizen science project involving volunteers from across the United States and Canada. You can sign up to monitor patches of milkweed weekly to count monarch eggs and larvae, and assess milkweed density. This data will help scientists determine the distribution and abundance patterns of monarch butterflies in North America.