Milkweeds for Monarchs

• Garden must be located in the City of St. Louis.
• Garden should be newly planted or expanded (this may include adding STL Monarch Mix plants to a pre-existing garden).
• Garden should contain 4 milkweed plants representing at least 2 different milkweed species (example: 2 Butterfly Weed plants and 2 Swamp Milkweed plants). 
• Garden should contain 5 nectar plants representing at least 3 different species (example: 2 Purple Coneflower plants, 2 Goldenrod plants, and 1 Black-Eyed Susan plant). 
• In total, garden should contain a minimum of 9 plants, covering at least one square meter (approximately 9 square feet). Using the STL Monarch Mix is strongly recommended.

• The Great MonArch Migration Event has been held for the past 5 years on National Public Lands Day in partnership with the National Park Service at Gateway Arch National Park. [The September 2017 and 2018 MonArch Migration events have photo galleries from previous years).

• Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project was featured in a New York Times Magazine piece on How to Attract Butterflies (June 2019).

• For help in creating the Monarch Butterfly Origami, check out this short (4 minute) origami video tutorial created by Landscape Architecture students at Iowa State University (September 2018).
• 2017 St. Louis Monarch Photo Contest winners (August 2018)
• St. Louis Riverfront Butterfly Byway Map (July 2018)
• St. Louis Riverfront Butterfly Byway Interpretive Panel (May 2018)
• American Planning Association magazine article about Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project efforts (November 2017)
• Catherine Werner's presentation on the City's urban monarch conservation efforts at the Smithsonian Institution Wild Cities: The Buzz About Urban Pollinators (June 2017)
• The City submitted its final report to the USFWS  on urban monarch conservation education, outreach & research programs (Feb 2017)
• In partnership with the Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis Zoo, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the City created Monarch Gardens for Schools: A Resource Guide for PreK-12 Urban School Communities (Feb 2017)
• Map highlighting the City's monarch conservation efforts 2015-2016 (Feb 2017)
• The City received the US Conference of Mayors GRO1000 Gardens & Greenspaces national award to create monarch habitat areas along the St. Louis Riverfront Butterfly Byway (Jan 2016)
• Milkweeds for Monarchs was featured in the December American Planning Association's Urban Design & Preservation publication, titled "St. Louis is Aflutter for Monarchs" (Dec 2015)
• Mayor Slay's leadership in urban monarch conservation efforts are featured throughout the National Wildlife Federation's guide to monarch conservation in cities (Dec 2015)
• The City received a $155,000 Monarch Conservation grant from NFWF for a new St. Louis Riverfront Butterfly Byway (Sept 2015). The Butterfly Byway will have been established in early 2018, and include interpretive panels at several locations.
• Mayor Slay launched the NWF's Mayors' Monarch Pledge with National Wildlife Federation president, Collin O'Mara (Sept 2015)
• Planting a Future for Monarchs - USFWS article featuring Milkweeds for Monarchs: The St. Louis Butterfly Project (August 2015)
• Catherine Werner's webinar presentation on urban monarch conservation, featuring Milkweeds for Monarchs (July 2015)
• City of St. Louis received an $80,000 grant from USFWS to advance urban monarch conservation through research and outreach (June 2015).
• STL Monarch Origami (April 2015)
• U.S. Conference of Mayors Newsletter (May 2014)
• Community Builders Network Article: Building Community - One Butterfly at a Time (July 2014)
• Biophilic Cities Interview of Mayor Slay and Catherine Werner (August 2014)
• Milkweeds for Monarchs Initiative update (Summer 2014)
• STL TV's City Corner: Milkweeds for Monarchs interview with Catherine Werner (August 2014)

St. Louis Monarch Tools & Resources