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HOST PLANTS FOR MONARCHS MID-SEASON NECTAR PLANTS Monarch larvae feed exclusively on milkweeds. Plant at least Shrubs and Vines: ten individual milkweed plants in your butterfly garden. If pos- Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) sible, choose at least two different species. Wild Ones recom- New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) mends you include common milkweed since it is the mon- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) arch’s preferred species. It may grow into large clumps, but if Sundrops (Oenothera fruticosa) wildones.org there is room in your garden, include it. Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) These are the native milkweed species recommended by Sumac (Rhus typhina, Rhus glabra, Rhus spp.) Monarch Watch, Wild Ones and the North American Butterfly White meadowsweet (Spirea alba) KENTUCKY MONARCH CONSERVATION PLAN Association for the northeast monarch migration re gion Forbs: fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Documents/ky_monarch_plan.pdf (Midwest and Northeast USA): Nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum) Dogbane (Apocynum cannabium, A. androsaemifolium) www.wildones.org Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Asclepias Common Milkweed (A. syriaca) Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata) Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes promotes environ- Butterfly Milkweed (A. tuberosa) Wild blue indigo (Baptisia australis) mentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity Purple Milkweed (A. purpurascens) Partridge pea (Cassia fasciculta) through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native Prairie Milkweed (A. sullivanti) Tall thistle (Cirsium altissimum) plant communities. Wild Ones is a national not-for-profit environ- Wild for Monarchs mental education and advocacy organization. Whorled Milkweed (A. verticillata) Swamp thistle (Cirsium muticum) Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata, C. tripteris, Coreopsis spp.) Plant a native butterfly garden Poke Milkweed (A. exaltata) Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) To order a Monarch Waystation sign: monarchwatch.org or Monarch Waystation Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) To order a North American Butterfly Assoc. sign: naba.org Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) and create your own NECTAR PLANTS FOR MONARCHS Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum, E. purpureum) To order a Wild Ones members-only butterfly sign: moments to remember Nectar plants provide food for adult monarchs and other False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides) wildones.org/butterfly-garden-program pollinators throughout the season. Pick from early, mid- and Roundheaded bushclover (Lespedeza capitata) For a local Wild Ones chapter visit: wildones.org/connect late-flowering species and have at least three different kinds Blazingstar (Liatris spicata, L. liguistylis, Liatris spp.) of plants in bloom at any time. Include the mid-season flow- Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) NEED MORE MILKWEEDS? Contact local native plant grow- ering milkweeds. Not only will you offer a dependable food Dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata) ers or your local Wild Ones chapter for information on their plant source to the monarchs, but your butterfly garden will have Common cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex) visual interest all year long. Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) sales. You can also order from Monarch Watch’s Bring Back the Try growing some of these native plants in your butterfly Yellow prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) Monarch program: monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs garden or Monarch Waystation. (Species listed alphabetically Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) according to scientific names.) Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES Wild senna (Senna hebecarpa) Monarch Joint Venture: monarchjointventure.org EARLY NECTAR PLANTS Purple-stemmed aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum) Shrubs: Hoary vervain (Verbena stricta) North American Butterfly Association: nababutterfly.com Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea, A. laevis, A. interior) Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) • Bringing Nature Home, How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Redbud (Cercis canadensis) Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) LATE-FLOWERING NECTAR PLANTS • Urban and Suburban Meadows, Bringing Meadowscaping Pussy willow (Salix discolor) Shrub: Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) to Big and Small Spaces! by Catherine Zimmerman Forbs: Wild blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum, V. angustifolium) • Wild Ones: members-only Journals Forbs: False aster (Boltonia asteroides) Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) • The Inside Story by Janice Stiefel available from the Wild Spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) Calico aster (Symphiotrychum laterifolius) Store: www.wildones.org Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida) Wild strawberry (Fragraria virginiana) • Butterfly Gardening: Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden Wild lupine (Lupinus perennis) Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) by The Xerces Society & The Smithsonian Institution Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) Heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) Wild phlox (Phlox divaracata) Smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laevis) • Milkweed, Monarchs and More by Ba Rea, Karen Oberhauser Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) and Michael Quinn, updated 2nd Ed Common blue violet (Viola sororia, Viola spp.) Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea, V. missurica) LIT-MON-102 Wild Ones Monarch_Layout 1 11/28/17 7:12 AM Page 2

Planting a Native Plant Butterfly Garden or Monarch Waystation*? Butterfly gardeners show they care deeply about the environment and their Why Butterflies and moths depend predominantly on connection to nature. While providing food and shelter for monarchs and other native plants as their larval host plants. In the case pollinators, they also help to conserve native plants, reduce habitat fragmentation Native of monarchs, milkweed species are critical for their survival. Whenever possible, grow local genotype and increase biodiversity in the landscapes. Healthy ecosystems directly affect the Plants native plants that have co-evolved in their native quality of our food, water and air—and what could be more important than that? Matter habitats with other plants and wildlife, such as insect pollinators. Local genotype native plants are STEPS FOR SUCCESS vigorous and hardy. Adapted to their region, they can survive 1 Preparation: Evaluate your site and choose a spot with for sensitive ecosystems. If seeding, use a nurse crop of winter cold and summer heat. The deep roots of native plants, at least six hours of sunlight. Simply add native plants to an annual oats to reduce weed growth. especially those of prairie plants, trees and shrubs, hold soil, existing garden or replace a patch of lawn. If replacing a lawn, 4 Maintenance: At first, water regularly, remove weeds and control erosion and withstand droughts. Native plants, once es- start with a clean planting bed and remove non-native vege- keep mulched until the garden is established. Be pesticide free tablished, require little watering and better tolerate native pests. *Monarch Waystations is a certification program developed tation if necessary. Select plant species that match the light, since this garden is wildlife food. Some butterfly gardeners To prevent the local extinction of native flora, plants should be by Monarch Watch in 2005. Its aim is to develop places soil, pH and moisture conditions of your garden plot. See: cut back some stalks of summer milkweed (late June or early purchased from reputable nurseries and not dug from natural that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce wildones.org/learn July) to force new leaves for monarch caterpillars—be sure areas. For local genotype guidelines: wildones.org/learn/native- successive generations and sustain their migration. plants-and-landscaping/local-ecotype-guidelines 2 Design Considerations: To be visually appealing, select to transfer any eggs or larvae to plants that you don’t cut back. native plant species of varied heights that bloom at different Later in the season (August-September), practice benign neg- times. These will provide nectar for adult butterflies through- lect! In the fall, leave some dead leaves and stalks to provide “Without milkweeds there can be no monarchs” — Douglas W. Tallamy out the season. Don’t forget to include native grasses such overwintering sites for pollinators. Update your garden plan. as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) not only for Take an “after” photo of your garden. Want to get more involved? 5 Register your Waystation through MonarchWatch.org or contrast, but also to help keep the blooming forbs upright. e Collect native milkweed seed and encourage others to grow milkweeds. For details: Enhance your garden with least two types of milkweed NABA.org. If your Waystation or butterfly garden is planted wildones.org/learn/wild-for-monarchs for monarchs and additional host species for cat er pillars of with at least 75% native species and you are a Wild Ones q Join local efforts to protect and restore natural areas and monitor pollinators. Encourage other butterfly species if you would like. For some species, mem ber, you may register your garden at wildones.org/ land stewards of parks, preserves and wildlife areas to include more milkweed species in enhance your garden by adding a butterfly puddling spot and butterfly-garden-program. their restorations. small brush pile for over-wintering species like mourning 6 Monitor: Keep records of monarchs observed. Monarch f Talk to your friends, family and neighbors about the role of pollinators in food production cloak butterflies. Take a “before” photo of the site. jointventure.org provides contacts for several monitoring pro- and ecosystem health. 3 Plant Selection: Make a sketch of the planting plan and grams. Each week or two, keep track of your observations, Lots of space? Plant native trees for butterflies and moths including oak, cherry, willow color-code bloom times for early, mid-season and late flow- such as which plants are preferred by butterflies and other d and hackberry. ers. Fall-blossoming, nectar-rich plants are particularly im- pollinators as host plants and nectar or pollen sources. Take portant to migrating monarchs. Make a list of your plant photos of the garden throughout the season. a Keep outdoor lighting turned off at night—light pollution may be harmful to some pollinators. species and check the number needed. Allow for sufficient 7 Share your seeds or divisions of plants to help start another g Does your state follow a Roadsides for Wildlife program? If not, why not help start one? Work with your township room between plants as they mature, typically 12" on center. butterfly garden! Invite others to visit your garden or Way - to reduce roadside mowing if there are native species remaining. See: xerces.org/pollinator-conservation-roadsides Mulch to provide a weed barrier. Find a reputable native plant station to enjoy the beauty of the butterflies in the natural i Find out about policy issues that affect pollinators and share information with your government representatives. nursery that carries plants and seeds from your area (local landscape you have created. z Join your state’s landscape registry to be alerted to use of pesticide/herbicide applications by landscape services. genotype) and uses best management practices appropriate

Photo and graphics credits JOY BUSLAFF BECKY ERICKSON MARLENE FRISBIE BETTY HALL LAURA HEDIEN LIZ JONES JUDY KESSER CLAIRE KIM ROBERT LAUER STEVE MAASSEN RUTH OLDENBURG PATRICIA PANNELL JOE POWELKA JOAN RUDOLPH