Monarch butterflies, with their strikingly streaked caterpillars, emerald- and gold-foiled chrysalises, and tiger-striped wing patterns, are one of the most beloved of all butterflies. We humans flock to witness monarch migrations, but we are also responsible for their decline. Loss of habitat and exposure to pesticides threaten monarch populations from Canada to Mexico. Growing wild milkweed—the butterfly's primary habitat plant—creates a monarch sanctuary in your own backyard.
