Article by Jenna Staneck, November 2024; update November 2025
Last November, Bee City published the article below, written by Jenna Stanek, about our beloved monarch butterfly, which migrates through northern New Mexico every year. Monarch populations in the United States have continued to decline overall, despite a slight uptick in overwintering populations of the Eastern Monarch in 2024-2025. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to have the monarch butterfly listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The good news is that community members can continue to help monarchs by planting milkweeds for essential caterpillar habitat, and native wildflowers like common sunflowers, asters, and goldenrods for the nectar needs of adult monarchs. Monarchs are arriving in their overwintering habitats in California and Mexico right now. Learn more about monarch conservation and join the movement today!
For centuries, Mexico’s monarchs have served as a powerful cultural symbol connecting the living to the dead. Today the monarch butterfly’s arrival still symbolizes the return of the souls of ancestors and coincides with the Mexican Day of the Dead, which is a celebration of loved ones who have passed away.
It’s easy to understand why. Monarch butterflies are not only beautiful creatures, but they are one of the most iconic insect species in North America. They are the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration in the fall and spring as birds do. They migrate across the continent over four generations. However, monarch butterfly populations have declined by over 85% in the last three decades and are currently a candidate species under the federal U.S. Endangered Species Act.
During the spring and summer months multiple “breeding” generations of Monarchs spend their lives in New Mexico, living for a little over a month through their full life cycle. Monarch caterpillars need milkweed plants to grow and develop because female monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed. Planting milkweed is a great way to help monarchs and other pollinators too, as milkweed not only provides food for Monarch caterpillars but it also provides nectar resources to a diverse suite of bees and butterflies.
In the fall, the last generation of Monarch butterflies emerge and start to head to their overwintering areas. This “migratory” generation is different than the other generations and will live up to 8 months at their overwintering site before the same butterflies return to their breeding grounds in the spring to lay eggs on newly emerging milkweed. It is incredible that this “migratory” generation of Monarchs knows where to go for their overwintering areas since they have never been there. Migrating monarch adults depend on early season and late season flowering plants for food. Here are some tips on what you can do to attract monarchs to your yard and/or help them during their life cycle and migration.
- Plant milkweeds and early spring and late fall season blooming nectar flowers—see our recommended list here: https://peecnature.org/bee-city/color-photo-guide-to-recommended-native-plant-list/. Please plant only locally native milkweed species.
- Milkweed grows along roadsides and sidewalks. Mow at key times Oct 15 – April 1st. Avoid mowing during breeding season (July–October in Los Alamos County).
- Help researchers by contributing information on monarch sightings and milkweed locations (https://www.inaturalist.org)
- Encourage others to plant locally native milkweed and nectar species. Giving away seeds that are collected from your plants in the fall can be a fun and rewarding event.
Want to learn even more about Monarchs? Check out the July 2025 Featured Pollinator article for information on native milkweeds and current population decreases.