At the Native Plant sale yesterday, a number of people asked where I got the Monarch Condo and unfortunately Monarch Watch is currently out of stock but Mona Miller emailed me and shared that you can get them at BioQuip. Other nice houses for rearing butterflies are the houses sold by eNasco.
If you want to raise Monarchs next year, definitely make sure you have your milkweed in the ground now so it’s nice and robust next June when the Monarchs return.
And for our Monarchs right now – you’re no doubt seeing them flying in a pretty deliberate manner. In fact, you could probably drive all the way to Mexico yourself just by following their course!
They have a long way to go and as one of the landscape designers said yesterday — “Forget planting Mums! Plant Asters and Goldenrods!” They’re what the Monarchs need so desperately right now for their 2000 mile journey south to Mexico – plus they’re native (“low maintenance”) and perennial (“saves you $$”)! not to mention being gorgeous!!
If you have all the right elements in your garden and yard, consider putting up a Monarch Waystation sign or getting your yard recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. It helps spread the word about what healthy habitats looks like. (We have both up at our house…:) )