As Western monarch butterflies prepare for their long migration to southern California, we have a few updates to share with you on this imperiled creature:

Recent sightings in Sisters. There have been confirmed monarch caterpillar sightings on milkweed in Sisters recently. This round of monarchs are super generation monarchs—the generation that migrates to and overwinters in southern California.

Keep an eye on your milkweed! If you have milkweed at your home, keep an eye out for caterpillars on your plants! They should be pretty big now, or even be starting to form chrysalides. You can look for chomping on leaves as a sign of caterpillars. If you do spot a caterpillar or monarch, be sure to take photos! Report your sightings to the Land Trust, as well as on the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper.

Look for adult monarchs migrating. Adult monarch butterflies are on their way to southern California, so be sure to look for monarch butterflies flitting about. As adults, they will sip on numerous nectar sources, not just milkweed, so any pollinator plants that are still blooming are super important for these migrating butterflies!

 

Learn more:

• The Land Trust's Monarch Butterfly Conservation
• Western Monarch Butterfly Overwintering Numbers Grow