Western Monarch Butterfly Resources
13 Top Western Monarch Resources for Monarchs & Milkweed
The western monarch butterfly population is in deep decline, and the western monarch migration is collapsing due to several factors including habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. A frequently forgotten factor is the unintended consequence of biological pest control.
Monarch enthusiasts in warm western regions are dealing with a unique set of circumstances and issues when it comes to butterfly gardening and raising healthy monarchs. These include elevated disease and parasite issues that are common in places with longer growing seasons.
This graph below illustrates the dangerous decline of western monarchs:
What makes this decline even more astonishing, is how many more overwintering sites are being monitored now compared to three decades ago.
While experts and enthusiasts both struggle to find viable solutions to bring back the western monarch population, these are some of the organizations, businesses, and communities already in the trenches…
Check out these valuable resources for getting first-hand info from those supporting western monarch butterflies:
1. Monarch Butterflies in the Pacific Northwest is a portal for research, conservation, and news of the pacific northwest monarchs:
Monarch Butterflies in the Pacific Northwest
2. Monika Moore is the California Butterfly Lady and shares her first-hand knowledge of gardening and raising butterflies is Southern California. You can like her facebook page to get updates in your newsfeed:
3. Track Monarch and Milkweed activity across the west with:
Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper
4. The Southwest monarch study researches the breeding and migration patterns of western monarch butterflies in Arizona and the southwestern US:
Southwest Monarch Study Website
5. Portland Monarchs is another facebook community dedicated to sharing experiences, learning about, and helping Monarch Butterflies (and their pollinator friends).
Portland Monarchs Facebook Group
6. Butterfly Gardening Tips & Ideas for Central California:
7. Las Pilitas Nursery has put together a list showing native plants used by California butterflies, including monarchs:
Plants for a California or Western Monarch Butterfly Garden
8. Annie’s Annuals is another highly reviewed California nursery that offers native and annual butterfly plants. Click on each plant’s thumbnail for more info:
California Annual and Perennial Butterfly Plants
9. Theodore Payne Foundation inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes:
Theodore Payne Foundation and Nursery
10. Armstrong gardens is an employee-owned company that has served California for 130 years. They have 27 retail garden centers throughout California and carry several varieties of milkweed and a multitude of other butterfly and pollinator plants.
11. Located on 40 acres of the historic Rancho Mission Viejo in San Juan Capistrano, the Tree of Life nursery supplies a high quality line of over 500 species and varieties for landscaping and ecological restoration at the wholesale level, and also has a retail store that welcomes California native plant enthusiasts 6 days a week.
12. The Xerces society protects monarchs and other wildlife through the conservation of their native habitat. Download their free guide on milkweed and monarchs in the western US:
Milkweed and Monarchs in the Western US
Western Monarch Count Resource Center
13. Monarch Butterfly Friends Hawaii is a facebook group about attracting and supporting monarchs in Hawaii and learning about milkweed species grown in the Hawaiian islands:
Monarch Butterfly Friends Hawaii Facebook Group
14. The Beautiful Monarch was a facebook group created to teach members how to raise and properly care for the monarch butterfly from egg to flying adult along with learning about their predators, diseases and other monarch facts.
While this group was intended for monarch lovers across North America, there were many posts in the group from western and southern locales. The group was public so you can still read past posts:
The Beautiful Monarch (archived in 2023)
Please comment below if you know of other good western monarch resources
According to the admin and many members of this group they’re saying that the climate change has many Monarchs laying eggs year around all over California during the winter.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/156121323211185
As far as increasing the overwintering numbers in the West Coast, Xerces Society should encourage everyone to home-raise a few plus to remove the hands off in California State.
It is pointless concentrating only on creating more habitats when there aren’t enough butterflies around to use them. 🙁
I clicked on “the beautiful monarch” link. It said not available. I did notice it said archived 2023 below your link for it. Does this mean it is inactive?
Also you have a lot of information here but nothing about legislation done for monarchs in the state of West Virginia. Which was established for monarch protection in 2004. “West Virginia Monarch Butterfly Day Sept 12th” FYI. Founder and NSDAR National Conservation gold medalist Heather Tokas
Lastly how did you select only Monarch Watch and Rose Franklin on the east for egg and caterpillar suppliers when there are about 60 of us?
Hi Heather, the beautiful monarch link still works on my end, but the group has been archived…also, this particular page is for western monarch info, not the east coast. I am not familiar with your website but you can email the info for consideration: contact page