Consortiums aim to help monarch butterflies

The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium is a group of 50 organizations, including agricultural and conservation associations, agribusiness and utility companies, universities and county, state and federal agencies. Roughly 40% of all monarch butterflies that overwinter in Mexico are estimated to come from Iowa and neighboring Midwestern states.

Consortium members collaborated with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to develop the free publication, “5 Ways to Help the Monarchs,” available at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/15817. The recommendations include the following:

1. Take advantage of farm bill programs, such as the USDA Conservation Reserve Program, to establish monarch breeding habitat.

2. Establish monarch habitat on your land as part of a demonstration project.

3. Follow federal pesticide labels and state regulations when applying pesticides.

4. Consider monarch-friendly weed management for roadsides and other rights-of-way.

5. Establish a Monarch Waystation—a garden with both nectar plants and native milkweed species.

To learn more about the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, visit http://monarch.ent.iastate.edu and follow @IowaMonarchs on social media.