What IS a Monarch Waystation anyway?

 

A “Waystation” may be defined as an intermediate station between principal stations on a line of travel. If we imaging the principal stations for Monarchs to be the over wintering sites in Mexico and the points of reproduction in the breeding season, then it becomes easy for us to visualize the value of resource-rich waystations along the Monarch’s route through its annual fall and spring migrations. Without resources—in the form of nectar from flowers—fall migratory butterflies would be unable to make the journey to Mexico. Similarly, without milkweeds along the route to the North in the Spring and Summer months Monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration each Fall.

 

The Value of Monarch Waystations:

 

By creating and maintaining a Monarch Waystation you are contributing to Monarch conservation and are helping to assure the continuation of the Monarch migration in North America. Your efforts will also provide habitats for other species, including many pollinators—a rapidly declining and underappreciated, yet important, group of species. By educating others about Monarchs and the need to provide habitats for wildlife you will help raise the public’s awareness of important conservation issues.

Visit the website: http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws