How To help the endangered monarch butterfly

The  monarch butterfly has been listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global authority on the conservation status of species. An endangered listing means the species is likely to go extinct without significant intervention.

Over the past decade, the population has dropped between 22% to 72% globally. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountain declined by 84% from 1996 to 2014. In the West, the population plummeted by 99.9%.

Monarchs need places to rest their wings, drink flower nectar, and lay their eggs on milkweed, which their baby caterpillars eat. 

Here's what the National Wildlife Federation recommends:

1. Help Save Grasslands — America’s native grasslands are critically important for monarchs. They      offer both milkweed for monarch caterpillars as well as nectar plants for  adult butterflies (and many other pollinators, too). Today, more than 90% of native grasslands have been converted to cropland and development. Grasslands are disappearing faster than any other ecosystem in North  America, and that’s a big problem for monarchs. Join NWF in fighting to save grasslands for monarchs.
2. Support Highway Habitat Corridor — NWF and USFWS are working to create a coalition of      agriculture leaders and highway transportation organizations to plant milkweed  and nectar plants along monarch migratory flyways and in other important monarch breeding grounds along key Midwest and Texas corridors. Our Tonkawa Chapter has joined with other chapters and TXDOT to creat Monarch Waystations for migrating Monarchs.  The Bell County Southbound Rest Area is located near mile marker 282 on Interstate I 35, (about 2 miles South of Salado, midway between Austin and Waco). The Bell County Northbound Rest Area is located near mile marker 281 on  Interstate I 35, (about 2 miles South of Salado, midway between Austin  and Waco). Access from Texas Interstate 35 is in the Northbound  direction only. 
3. Plant Milkweed — You can make saving the monarch personal by planting milkweed in your yard or garden. There are many milkweed species found in North America, so no matter where you live, there’s at least one species native to your area. You’ll be rewarded not only with the knowledge that you are making a difference, but by attracting monarchs to enjoy. 
4. Don’t Use Pesticides — Monarchs are insects, and so spraying insecticides will kill them. Make      the commitment to avoid spraying pesticides in your yard. There are many organic sprays that will not hurt the environment.
5. Create Monarch Habitat— NWF’s Garden for Wildlife program can teach you how to turn any outdoor space into a complete habitat for monarchs. Just provide food, water, cover and places to raise young. It all starts with what you plant and you can create a habitat garden in your own yard, at your office, at your church, or on the local school grounds. Entire  communities are launching efforts to create monarch habitats. Learn how to create a wildlife-friendly garden.