Monarch Butterfly | Pollinator of the Month March

The Western Monarch Butterfly is one of California’s most beloved pollinators. Each spring, monarchs return to landscapes where narrowleaf milkweed grows, laying eggs that will become the next generation of butterflies.

In Southern California, the monarch’s survival depends on a delicate relationship with native plants, especially milkweed. Without these host plants, monarch caterpillars simply cannot survive.

In this month’s Pollinator of the Month, we explore how you can support the Western Monarch Butterfly in your own backyard by planting native milkweed, creating nectar sources, and building habitat with structural diversity.

Small changes in our gardens can make a meaningful difference. Let’s explore the plants, practices, and simple actions that help monarchs thrive.

🦋 LEARN

The Monarch butterfly depends on milkweed across North America. Milkweed grows from Canada to Mexico. There are dozens of native species depending on the region.

In Southern California, Narrowleaf milkweed is the primary native host plant. Monarch caterpillars can only develop on milkweed. Without it, reproduction stops.

But monarchs typically do not use milkweed as their main nectar source. Adults prefer a wide range of flowering plants for nectar throughout the season.

And here is another detail many people miss:

Monarchs rarely attach their chrysalis to milkweed itself. They often wander away and pupate on fences, shrubs, trees, eaves, or sturdy stems nearby. Habitat structure matters.

Meanwhile:

• Queen bumble bees are raising their first workers
• Stem-nesting bees are inside last year’s hollow stems
• Ground-nesting bees are in patches of bare soil

Milkweed supports caterpillars.

Wildflowers support adults.

Structure supports survival.

🌎 CHANGE

Create habitat.

Milkweed alone is not enough.

Monarchs face predators at every stage:

• Birds
• Paper wasps
• Spiders
• Assassin bugs
• Parasitic tachinid flies

Creating layered habitat helps balance predator pressure naturally.

We also encourage using non-toxic monitoring tools like the RESCUE! Outdoor Fly Trap we offer on our website to reduce excessive fly pressure around homes and garden edges without broad pesticide use.

Then do something beautifully simple:

Sprinkle wildflowers.

Let them grow.

Let them reseed.

Leave them standing at least until spring.

Wild edges feed monarch adults.

Seed heads feed birds.