The Monarch Mission   

Danaus plexippus
Minnesota State Butterfly

What do Monarchs need?

Host Plants for Caterpillars

  • Monarch caterpillars feed only on the leaves of milkweed (Asclepias spp.). This means that without milkweed, there are no Monarchs.

  • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
    Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
    Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
    Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

Nectar Plants for Food

  • During migration, a single Monarch can travel 50-100 miles every day. This requires a lot of fuel, so we are making sure to plant some of their favorites.

  • Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris lingulistylis)
    New England Aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae)
    Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
    Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)
    Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)

An Undisturbed Habitat

  • Monarchs cannot handle the winter cold and undergo a great migration to survive. For two generations, Monarchs will travel South to Oklahoma and Texas with each generation laying their eggs on milkweed, metamorphosing, and continuing the journey to overwintering sites in the Sierra Madre mountains of Michoacán and México. The Monarchs that arrive there are the great-grandchildren of our Minnesota butterflies.

  • On an overlooked corner of our farm is a small overflow area for our marsh. It is bordered by mature trees and has a beautiful open clearing that is begging to be transformed into a Monarch sanctuary. Planting begins in 2024.