Monarch Map
Mission of Our Monarch Map
Milkweeds are the required host plants for monarch butterfly caterpillars (female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweeds) and their flowers provide nectar for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Being a required host plant means that the ONLY species that can support a monarch caterpillar is milkweed, or Asclepias.
By planting milkweed, you can provide habitat for monarchs and also attract and support pollinators. Within the United States, the Xerces Society recommends planting milkweed species that are locally native. Here in Wisconsin, we have 12-13 varieties of milkweed:
|
|
You can help! Plant milkweed in your yard, community, and natural areas to protect both the diversity and abundance of milkweeds in our state, and the monarchs which rely on them. Encourage your neighbors to do the same!
If you have any variety of milkweed in your yard, provide your Elm Grove address and we will add an orange dot on the map—let’s see what we can do to make Elm Grove a butterfly haven!
What to do with my Asclepias syricae that spreads where I don’t want it?
- Share it with a neighbor or friend
- Post it on Next Door or Facebook to share with a random stranger
- Just cut it off at the ground when it emerges
- Under most conditions, when a common milkweed stem is cut off near ground level, in about two weeks a new shoot will appear from the roots. These new shoots are highly attractive to female monarchs, receiving two to 10 times more eggs than older stems. In addition, regrowing stems harbor fewer predators, giving young monarchs a chance to grow. In some studies, survival of eggs and young larvae was two to 2.5 times higher on regrowing stems. We have observed that older stems are important, too. As caterpillars mature, they often move from younger stems onto the older ones, so it may be that maintaining diversity in milkweed stem age is key.
Let us know by emailing beautification@elmgrovewi.org with your address to get your spot on the map!