By Katy Macek
UW Arboretum Director Karen Oberhauser has been researching monarch butterflies for more than 30 years. She recommends these four simple ways to help the declining species:
- Create your own monarch habitat. Include native-to-Wisconsin milkweed and nectar plants and avoid pesticides such as mosquito repellent.
- Talk to people. Oberhauser describes an “all-hands-on-deck” approach. “If people learn something about monarchs, tell other people,” she says. “If you put a garden in, include a sign that explains what you’re doing.”
- Participate in citizen science programs that track monarch data. See our August story on citizen science, “Report What You See.”
- Financially support any local, state or national organization that is working on monarch conservation or land conservation.
A list of plants, tips for habitat creation, websites to track monarch data and much more can be found at wimonarchs.org.
Read our full story on the “Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative.”
