Plenty of gardeners have heard of common milkweed. Many probably consider it the No. 1 monarch host plant, as well-known for its flowers as for its caterpillar-favorite leaves. While common milkweed ...

Growing milkweed from seed is one of the easiest ways to help declining monarch butterflies. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed monarch butterflies, whose numbers in the ...

My friend Diana, who has a degree in wildlife management, got into raising monarch butterflies back in 2020. She knew the statistics on the dwindling numbers of these gorgeous/iconic butterflies, did ...

When Lorraine Kells first came upon two sprawling Chicago Park District flower beds near Diversey Harbor, she saw weeds and cigarette butts. But eight years later, a dazzling array of wildflowers ...

Gardeners often plant milkweed with the hope of helping butterflies, but not all milkweed species have the same effect. Scientists have found that one common variety, tropical milkweed, can actually ...