Save the Monarchs

Issue

Over the past three decades the monarch population has decreased by 90% (Center for Biological Diversity, 2024). The population decrease is due to a combination of issues including loss of milkweed, pesticide/herbicide use, climate change, and logging and development of overwintering sites in Mexico. As of December 10, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS, 2024). While the western monarch population has shown an increase in recent years compared to 2020 (see graph here), the area occupied by the monarchs at sites in Mexico has steadily decreased (see graph here) (Monarch Joint Venture, Jan 2024; Monarch Joint Venture, Feb 2024). With more funding and focus on saving the monarchs there is a chance to save this inspiring species from extinction. This remedy provides the monarch butterfly life cycle, various solutions, and how you can personally help.

Solutions

There are various efforts that government programs, communities and individuals are doing and can do to help the monarch population bounce back.

Current Progress

  • States can apply for grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Monarch and Pollinator Highway Program to plant milkweed and native wildflowers to support the monarch migrations and local bees (Environment America, 2024).

  • If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalizes listing the monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the monarch butterfly will be legally protected and additional funding may become available.

Other Resources

  • Take classes to learn more about helpful home gardening or even becoming a Master Gardener. See these resources at University of Maryland’s Master Gardener programs (University of Maryland, 2024).

  • Look up your state highway program for news or any ways you can help. North Carolina’s “The Butterfly Highway” has a Butterfly Highway toolkit, map of butterfly highways in the U.S., and other helpful resources (North Carolina Wildlife Federation, 2024).

  • Plant native milkweed and other important pollinator flowers and avoid using pesticides in your yard.

  • See more about how you can personally help with monarchs below.

Monarch Life Cycle

Monarch Butterfly Egg
Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar
Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar J Shape
Monarch Butterfly Crysalis
Monarch Butterfly Hatching

Helping Monarch Butterflies

The best ways you can personally help monarchs would be to…

  1. Plant milkweed and other nectar plants in your yard. See National Wildlife Federation, Monarch Joint Venture, and Xerces Society for resources (NWF, 2025; Monarch Joint Venture, 2025; Xerces Society, 2025).

  2. Don’t use pesticides and herbicides. Pesticides and herbicides kill monarchs and should never be used in or around pollinator habitats.

  3. Join a pollinator project in your community. Join a butterfly highway project (mentioned above), help out at a local nature center, or join a local gardening project.

  4. Report monarchs when you see them. Journey North collects sightings data and another website collects tagged monarch sightings (Journey North, 2025; monarchwatch.org).

  5. Become a monarch advocate. Inform people about monarchs and steps they can take, or share this remedy.

Note that I did not list raising monarchs at home. Many scientists and experts indicate that it’s ok to raise one or two for educational purposes, but mass rearing will not necessarily help the monarch population. The Xerces Society provides a more in-depth explanation on why we should keep monarch butterflies wild (Xerces Society, 2023). On top of the mixed consensus on monarch rearing, you need to refresh their milkweed supply daily and have an appropriate outdoor enclosure to house them.

Resources

Center for Biological Diversity. (2024). Saving the Monarch Butterfly. Accessed on December 18, 2024 at: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/monarch_butterfly/#

Environment America. (2024, August). Senators give bee, monarch butterfly habitat a boost. https://environmentamerica.org/updates/senators-give-bee-monarch-butterfly-habitat-a-boost/

Journey North. (2025). Report Sightings. Accessed on January 4, 2025 at: https://journeynorth.org/sightings/

Monarch Joint Venture. (2024, January). Western Monarch Count Declines. https://monarchjointventure.org/blog/western-monarch-count-declines

Monarch Joint Venture. (2024, February). Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Falls to Less than One Hectare in the 2023-2024 Overwintering Season. https://monarchjointventure.org/blog/eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-falls-to-less-than-one-hectare-in-the-2023-2024-overwintering-season

Monarch Joint Venture. (2025). Create Habitat for Monarchs. Accessed on January 4, 2025 at: https://monarchjointventure.org/get-involved/create-habitat-for-monarchs

NWF. (2025). Start Planting with a Purpose. National Wildlife Federation. Accessed on January 4, 2025 at: https://www.nwf.org/garden?_ga=2.262893260.1927476344.1736041406-1835971275.1734543593

North Carolina Wildlife Federation. (2024). The Butterfly Highway. https://ncwf.org/habitat/butterfly-highway/

University of Maryland. (2024). Home Gardening & Master Gardeners. Accessed on December 21, 2024 at: https://extension.umd.edu/locations/baltimore-county/home-gardening-master-gardeners/

USFWS. (2024). Our Beloved Butterfly. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Accessed on December 18, 2024 at: https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch

Xerces Society. (2023, June 15). Keep Monarchs Wild: Why Captive Rearing Isn’t the Way to Help Monarchs. Xerces Society for Invertebrate Protection. https://xerces.org/blog/keep-monarchs-wild

Xerces Society. (2025). Native Milkweeds. Accessed on January 4, 2025: https://xerces.org/milkweed