To create a monarch butterfly waystation, plant 10 milkweed plants of two varieties for caterpillars, commit to annual maintenance like mulching and removing dead stalks, and include nectar plants for adults. Waystations require gloves, stakes, milkweed and nectar plants planted 18-36 inches apart in sun with well-drained soil. Websites like GardensWithWings.com provide lists of native plants and seed sources for each region.

1. MONARCH WAYSTATIONS 101
WAYSTATION REQUIREMENTS
1. Plant a total of 10 milkweed plants comprised of two varieties to provide food for the Monarch
caterpillars
2. Commit to an annual maintenance plan: mulch, amend your soil as needed, remove dead stalks,
eliminate insecticide use, remove invasives in your garden
3. Plant a variety of nectar sources to provide food for the adult Monarch butterfly
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
❏ Good pair of garden gloves to protect your hands
❏ Plant stakes and twine
❏ Milkweed plants (10 total)
❏ Nectar plants
BEST GROWING CONDITIONS
1. The optimal milkweed growing conditions are a sunny spot and well drained soil
2. Plant smaller plants 18” apart and larger plants 36” apart
3. Water the plants below the foliage
4. Smaller plants will likely need a year to mature
GARDENS WITH WINGS
Enter your zip code and get a free list of butterflies that will visit your local garden and the host plants
you can plant for their habitat. www.gardenswithwings.com
SEEDS SOURCES I RECOMMEND
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Mineral, VA) www.southernexposure.com
Prairie Moon Nursery (Winona, MN) www.prairiemoon.com
Botanicals Interests (Broomfield, CO) www.botanicalinterests.com
Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, IA) www.seedsavers.org
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, MO) www.rareseeds.com
1 Source: Monarch Waystations 101, Chris Padgett, 24 February 2018, #WBGMonarchs

2. Fedco Seeds (Clinton, ME) www.fedcoseeds.com
PLANT SOURCES I RECOMMEND
Hidden Hill Nursery (Utica, IN) www.hiddenhillnursery.com
Prairie Moon Nursery (Winona, MN) www.prairiemoon.com
Dropseed Nursery (Goshen, KY) www.dropseednursery.com
Bluestone Perennials (Madison, OH) www.bluestoneperennials.com
TO LEARN MORE
Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story
of Coevolution, by Anurag Agrawal, 2017
MONARCH WATCH
Monarch Watch is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program at the University of
Kansas focused on the Monarch butterfly, its habitat, and migration.
www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/registry/
FREE SOIL TESTING
You can obtain two vouchers for a free soil test to determine fertilizer needs in Jefferson County. Email
a voucher request to jeffersonswcd@gmail.com and include your name, address to be tested, phone
number, and if you want one or two vouchers. Call 502-499-1900 if you have any additional questions.
www.jeffcd.org
SHARE YOUR WAYSTATION
As you create and maintain your Monarch Waystation, please photograph it and share it on social
media with the hashtag: #WBGMonarchs. We’d love to see what you create in your garden!
2 Source: Monarch Waystations 101, Chris Padgett, 24 February 2018, #WBGMonarchs