I was crazy jealous of Deb and her monarch caterpillars. I have everything we need to be certified...except milkweed. Until today! On a whim, we stopped by Lowe's this afternoon and I found milkweed! I bought 16 plants (10 is the registration minimum) and registered to have our yard certified as a Monarch Waystation!
I got this e-mail just a little bit ago:
Dear Barbara,
We are pleased to inform you that your Monarch Waystation application is currently being processed. The milkweed and nectar flower habitat you have created for monarch butterflies will be registered and certified as a Monarch Waystation - congratulations! You will receive your certificate and site ID via mail soon. You are now eligible to purchase an official Monarch Waystation sign - any number of these signs may be ordered for display at your certified site(s). Displaying these signs will educate others and with your help encourage your friends, neighbors, schools, and others to create additional Monarch Waystations. Monarchs need our help! Details about submitting additional materials (photos, complete plant lists, comments, etc.) for your Monarch Waystation record will accompany your certificate
Thank you for your interest in monarch conservation!
Sincerely,
Orley R. "Chip" Taylor
Director,
Monarch Watch Create, Conserve, and Protect Monarch Habitats
How cool is that? And I didn't think we could do it until next year! Yay us!!! I ended up putting the milkweed in the front, since I had pretty significant butterfly host plants there to begin with, so that's the part that's certified. Next season, I'll add that back rectangle to the habitat.
4 comments:
How cool! I'd give you mine if I could. I have no idea how many there are. Did you know that there are something like 100 varieties of milkweed? Most of them look nothing like each other. Anyway, have fun with the Monarch Waystation! Emma thinks that is so cool. I want to see a picture of your plaque.
There really are tons of different types of milkweed. The kind we have is Butterfly Weed (asclepias tuberosa). Next year, I'm going to try to grow some Swamp Milkweed (3 types), Showy Milkweed and Prairie Milkweed as well, but I'm going to do those from seed.(www.butterflyencounters.com) They say that the more types of milkweed you have, the greater the chances of getting monarchs in your yard. I'll definately post pictures of the stuff we get!
How about a picture of Guillermo with a monarch in his mouth!
(^_^)
Okay, first of all, Guillermo prefers the plethora of bunnies and birds that are in the yard. Second, monarchs are poisonous (because of the milkweed they eat), so he better not be eating them!
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