Yesterday, April 22nd, I saw my first weathered Monarch butterfly arrive in St. Louis. It went right past my 50 assorted milkweed plants, but I’m hoping it doubles back and lays some eggs. I think it was a female.
I also learned today that St. Louis has started a “Milkweeds for Monarchs – The St. Louis Butterfly Project.”
St. Louis City is going to put in 50 Monarch gardens and is encouraging the community to plant 200 more.
While the effort is noble, they have a number of recommendations which need to be tempered with experience. They recommend a 3′ x 3′ area and suggest filling it with 9 different plants – 3 of which are invasive. A New England Aster can fill a 3′ x 3′ area by itself.
Butterfly Gardening 