Select Native Native plants provide variety and beauty to any garden! Native species are resilient and adapted to local soils, climate, and pests reducing the mi.gov/monarchs need for supplemental watering and fertilization. 1 Additionally, blooms produced by native plants offer pollinators higher quality and more beneficial nectar than hybrid varieties. TIPS Select for Plant Diversity Monarchs are present in Michigan from late spring Michigan through early fall; so, it is important to provide a Pollinator Health variety of plants that bloom May through September Begins with You! as consistent food sources. 2 Gardens should contain 10 or more of the recommended plant species, with at least three Monarch butterflies are one of the most species per bloom period. recognizable and beloved butterflies in North and Central America. Millions of Three to four percent of your garden should be monarchs migrate across the United comprised of milkweed. Milkweeds are essential States, spending their summers in host plants for monarch caterpillars and milkweed Michigan and winters in Mexico. nectar supports adult monarchs, as well as other Unfortunately, eastern monarch pollinators. In Michigan, two thirds of the milkweed populations have declined by 90% due used should be common milkweed (Asclepias to habitat loss and the improper use of syriaca) and the remaining third should be butterfly insecticides. And monarchs aren’t alone milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) for well drained, sandy - other pollinators, such as bumble soil or swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnate) for bees, are also experiencing declines. rich, wetter soils. Gardens should also include a few local grasses, such as little blue stem ( Use these simple tips, and scoparium) or indian grass (), to recommended plant species, provide shelter and safety for feeding monarchs as to make your garden a great well as structural support for the flowering plants. place for pollinators! Avoid Pesticides Insecticides have their place in a garden, but if you are trying to help monarchs and other pollinators, it’s best to avoid them. Many herbicides, and all insecticides, have the potential to poison or kill 3 pollinators, including monarchs. Avoid using plants treated with systemic insecticides, which are absorbed as the plant grows, distributing the chemicals throughout the plant tissue and into the pollen and nectar. These insecticides include imidacloprid, dinotefuran, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. When purchasing plants from nurseries or garden centers, always ask whether the plants have been treated with insecticides. Recommended Plants for Michigan Pollinators Flowering Common Monarch Pollinator Bloom Height Sun Water Season Species Name Name Value Value Color (feet) Requirements Requirements Ea Md Lt

Swamp Asclepias incarnata VH VH 3-4 H, M H, M Milkweed

Common Asclepias syriaca VH VH 2-3 H, M M, L Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed VH VH 1-3 H M, L

Aster laevis Smooth Aster H H 2-4 H M, L

New England Aster novae-angliae VH H 3-6 H M, L Aster

Baptisia alba White Wild L H 2-4 M H, M (macrophylla) Indigo

Coreopsis Lance-Leafed H M 1-2 H, M M, L lanceolata Coreopsis

Purple Echinacea purpurea H H 1-2 H, M M, L Coneflower

Heliopsis Oxeye M H 3-4 H M helianthoides Sunflower

Dense Blazing Liatris spicata VH H 3-4 H M, L Star

Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot VH VH 2-4 H H, M

Foxglove Penstemon digitalis L VH 1-2 H M, L Beardtongue

Yellow Ratibida pinnata H H 3-5 H, M H, M Coneflower

Black-eyed Rudbeckia hirta H M 1-3 H, M L Susan

Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod VH H 2-5 H M, L

Tradescantia Spiderwort L VH H, M M ohioensis 1-2

Veronicastrum Culver’s Root H H H, M M, L virginicum 3-5

Pollinator Friendly Native Grasses Sun Water KEY Species Name Common Name Height (feet) Requirements Requirements VH = Very High H = High gerardii Big bluestem 3-6 H, M L M = Medium Switchgrass 3-5 H, M M, L L = Low Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem 2-3 H, M M, L Ea = Early Md = Middle Sporobolus heterolepis Dropseed 2-3 H M, L Lt=Late Sorghastrum nutans Indian grass 3-5 H, M M, L