For the past several years I have considered joining Monarch Watch and becoming an official Monarch Waystation. This was the year I finally did it. My certificate making it official arrived in the mail today. Our official waystation number is 03746.

I have spent the past six years buying nectar and host plants. I spend more time planting than I do weeding. I hope someday to have so many plants the weeds are choked out….and someday, that is what will happen. I see it slowly beginning now.

I have watched the Monarch Butterfly during it’s different stages of life – in the air and on host plants. I realize butterflies are pollinators too. In fact, butterflies are only surpassed by bees. This fact alone should tell you how important helping these winged beauties is.

The push to go ahead and make the decision to certify this year came about because the Monarch’s are in serious trouble. The area their habitat is in was hit with severe storms. If each and every person doesn’t step up to the plate and help by planting a few milkweed plants in their yard, this beautiful butterfly may one day be extinct.

Milkweeds are beautiful plants. Mix them in the flower border and no one will know they are wild. There are cultivated varieties available at many nurseries and this is where you should get them. Do not dig plants from the wild.

For more information on how to become an official monarch waystation, visit http://www.MonarchWatch.org