Time to Plan Monarch Habitats

The new Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative website, wimonarchs.org, has Wisconsin-specific information on adding habitat and other ways to help monarchs. Photo courtesy of Howard County Library System.

While Wisconsin monarchs rest and refuel after a 1,700-plus-mile flight to their wintering grounds in Mexico, state residents can help them this winter by planting or planning habitat and taking other actions to help monarchs.

The Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative, a coalition of organizations dedicated to reversing dramatic monarch declines in Wisconsin, has launched a new website (wimonarchs.org) that provides a wealth of state-specific information about planting habitat that will benefit monarchs and other pollinators.

“Monarchs are resting this time of year, but we’re not,” said Brenna Jones, coordinator for the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative and a conservation biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Heritage Conservation Program.

“Planting milkweed and nectar plants is the best way to help monarchs, and now is a good time to plant seeds or to plan what plants you’ll add to your garden next spring. Our new website gives you specific information to help you do that.”

The Monarch Collaborative website has an extensive creating habitat suite of pages with state-specific resources for creating habitat in urban and suburban areas, on farms, on protected lands and along roadsides and utility corridors. The resources include a Top 12 Species for Beginner Butterfly Gardens list that’s tailored to Wisconsin gardeners.