If you’ve admired the delicate beauty of monarch butterflies, you’ve likely also heard about the plight of the Western monarch (Danaus plexippus). The pollinator’s population has plummeted more than 90 percent since the 1980s.
Now, local residents can help reverse this trend. The Earth Discovery Institute, a conservation and environmental education nonprofit in El Cajon, seeks San Diego County applicants who want to install habitats at their homes that support the imperiled Western monarch butterfly.
This month, Earth Discovery Institute will identify 22 suitable home garden sites. Priority will be given to residents from underserved communities and different climate zones throughout San Diego County. Prospective participants are asked to meet the following criteria:
• Must be a homeowner, or if renting, provide a letter of support from the homeowner.
• Must have at least 32 square feet available for planting.
• Must agree to maintain the installed habitat through regular watering and weeding.
• Must agree to survey installed habitat gardens for evidence of monarch butterflies on weekly basis.
• Must agree to allow photo and video documentation of garden habitats.
In December and in January 2024, Earth Discovery Institute staff will collaborate with selected program participants to install monarch habitat gardens at each home garden site, coinciding with San Diego’s rainy season for ideal planting conditions. Earth Discovery Institute will continue to provide ongoing technical support to program participants, including site visits, through June.
In addition, Earth Discovery Institute will create free educational resources on its website for members of the general public who wish to create monarch butterfly habitat in their home gardens. These will include sample monarch habitat gardens for plots of different sizes, as well as “tips of the week” for growing native milkweed and other native plants that support monarch butterflies.
“This initiative represents a crucial step towards the conservation of the Western monarch butterfly and its habitat, emphasizing the importance of planting native milkweed in home gardens to support their lifecycle,” said Ida Kaller-Vincent, Earth Discovery Institute’s conservation director.
For more information about the project and instructions on how to apply, visit earthdiscovery.org/Monarch-Butterfly-Gardens or email to [email protected]. The project is made possible by funding from the Monarch Joint Venture, U.S. Forest Service International Programs and Malk Foundation.
The mission of Earth Discovery Institute is to inspire stewardship of San Diego’s native biodiversity through environmental education and conservation. Earth Discovery Institute is a community-based nonprofit, founded in 2008. For more information, visit earthdiscovery.org.