Monarch butterfly populations are declining and sadly are becoming at risk of going extinct. There's two major groups: the western and eastern populations. The western is particularly at peril. Xerces has a guide that I'll link below that's very in depth on what Californians in particular can do to help.

https://xerces.org/western-monarch-call-to-action



Additional resources are below that give more information on both populations. Planting native milkweeds and other flowering plants are something we can do on an individual basis. Milkweed is especially important because this is the food source for monarch caterpillars. Other things that can help include things like reducing the use of pesticides and herbicides.

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-monarch-butterfly-population-closer-extinction.html

https://xerces.org/monarchs/monarch-nectar-plant-guides

Found out today about Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper. They're in charge of a project to map milkweed species and monarch sightings in the western United States. I've posted a part of their About page to give more information on how anyone in the west can help.

"Your help is critical to the success of this project! Because monarchs and their host plants are found all across the western U.S., the best way to document them is to engage a multitude of volunteers and their cameras. You can participate in this effort by using this website to:

-Upload your photos of monarchs and milkweeds;
-Identify milkweeds using our milkweed key, which profiles over 40 milkweed species found in the west;
-Submit data which will help researchers determine the distribution, phenology, and conservation needs of monarchs and milkweeds in the west; and
-Learn about monarchs, their host plants, and ongoing conservation efforts for these species.

Participating in our project is simple and you can get started now by creating an account via the sign in tab at the top of the page. Once you have an account, go out and start looking! Check your local parks, natural areas, gardens, and even roadsides. Were looking for all stages of monarchs, so dont forget to look at milkweed leaves and stems to see if caterpillars or eggs are present. Snap a few photos (learn more about how to photograph milkweeds and monarchs here) and then sign in and submit your data via our Milkweed and Monarch Sightings forms. Have fun while learning more about monarchs and the special habitats they use in your area!"

Gonna claim a few posts just in case I need them later for better organization of this thread.

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