Simple actions families can take to help save monarch butterflies and teach kids about conservation.
With 265 days of sunshine per year and mild temperatures, California is not just a favorite destination for human families looking to escape the cold. Every winter, tens of thousands of monarch butterflies flock to our coastal communities seeking shelter from the cold. These western monarchs used to number in the millions, but sadly we have seen a 95% decline in the number of monarchs overwintering in California since the 1980s. What can we do to help? And how do we get our kids involved? Here are 6 ways families can help save the monarch butterfly population in Southern California:
1. Plant milkweed – but make it native
While milkweed is an important host plant for the monarch caterpillar, serving as their main source of food, there are many different varieties of milkweed available. Narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)is native to Southern California, easy to grow, and considered the most important species to plant in supporting western monarchs in California. Our deciduous native milkweeds die back in the winter and reemerge in the spring, encouraging the monarchs to continue their migration to the coastal winter grounds. Tropical milkweed, while beautiful, continues to flower throughout the winter months, spreading a protozoan parasite that can impact the monarch caterpillar’s ability to mature, migrate and reproduce. There are many organizations around the Los Angeles area that hold free native milkweed giveaways, including the Santa Monica Mountains Fund and the Arroyos and Foothills Conservancy Monarch Recovery Project. As an added bonus, these plants often come home with monarch eggs or caterpillars – instant entertainment for your kids!
2. Plant wildflowers
While the milkweed host plant provides food for the caterpillars, adult butterflies traveling through or laying eggs need nectar plants to sustain them on their journey. Nectar from flowers provides sugar and other essential nutrients. Native flowers such as yarrow (Achillea millefolium), California sunflower (Helianthus californicus), Pacific aster (Symphyotrichum chilense), or salvias (Salvia spp.) are a great choice to support monarchs, as well as other native pollinators. Recycle old egg cartons or berry containers and get kids involved in growing native plants from seed. They will learn patience and gain confidence as they watch their garden come to life. This is also a great opportunity to teach the scientific method – do our native seeds prefer one type of soil over another? Do they grow better in shady or sunny spots? Does germination occur faster indoors or outdoors? Get creative and have some fun!
No yard? No problem! Create a container garden on your patio, balcony or windowsill. Just remember that plants grown in containers will require water and fertilizer more frequently than plants grown in the ground.
3. Take a field trip
The winter monarch migration is an incredible natural phenomenon, and one worth traveling for. Spending time in nature helps inspire kids to take action to protect California’s native wildlife. Take a drive just a few hours up the coast to visit the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, where November through February monarch butterflies hang in clusters so numerous they look like leaves on a tree. When the sun comes out, the butterflies take flight, filling the open spaces between towering eucalyptus trees.
Pro tip – bring your binoculars! You will appreciate the incredible number of monarchs that much more when you see them up close.
4. Build a butterfly feeder
Raid your recycling bin for a fun DIY project with kids – a butterfly feeder. Glass jars, tin cans, terracotta pieces, or even used pie plates can all be repurposed into a simple butterfly feeder. Add pieces of fresh fruit or flowers as a source of food or fill with rocks and water to make a puddle where butterflies can get a drink of fresh water. Hang from a tree, and clean and refill as needed. Check out these links for inspiration and instructions:
Want to make something more elaborate? Check your local home improvement stores and garden centers – many offer free kids activities or have pre-assembled kits for sale.
5. Volunteer your time
Did you know that Los Angeles is considered a biodiversity hotspot? This means that we have a high variety of living things, a large number of endemic species not found anywhere else in the world, and that many of these species (including monarchs) are being threatened by habitat loss. Help fight habitat loss by volunteering for habitat restoration projects around our city. Whether you serve with one of the larger non-profits organizations around Los Angeles, like Tree People or Friends of the LA River, or find a more local group like the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, your family can make a difference in supporting our disappearing endemic wildlife. Even very young kids can help gather rocks to create a border for a trail or learn to pull invasive weeds. These organizations are great at finding age-appropriate tasks for families looking to lend a hand.
6. Report sightings
Calling all kid scientists! Citizen science has become an important part of our understanding of monarch butterfly populations and migration. Your family can get involved by collecting data and reporting sightings to monarch butterfly research projects that focus specifically on the western monarch. Monarch Milkweed Mapper collects reports of both monarch and milkweed sightings, and The US Forest Service maintains a list of citizen science projects involving the monarch butterfly as well as activities for kids.
Our families can have a real impact on monarch butterfly conservation. Let’s teach our children to have empathy for the natural world and show some love to L.A.’s wild side!
Megan Swanson is a mom of two girls, former high school Biology teacher in L.A. County and current graduate student in a Biology/Global Field Master’s Program. She loves exploring new places with her family and has a deep appreciation for California’s wild places and native wildlife.
