Milkweed for Monarchs

8/2/18 I have relocated to Gatineau, Quebec, Canada near Ottawa Ontario and I am continuing my participation in citizen science with researchers studying the Eastern Migratory Monarch Butterfly. I now live in a place where Migratory Monarch Butterflies begin and finish their complex migration to and from Mexico. In San Luis Obispo, I was working…[Read more]

I helped my science/garden teacher at school find homes for the plants we grew this year using my seeds. Teachers, students and parents took plants home to plant and take care of this summer. Because my school is being renovated this summer, and our garden is being moved, we needed to give the plants away. After everyone was gone, my mom helped me…[Read more]

Freddy Otte came to my home, where I have been germinating native Asclepias fascicularis (Narrow-leafed Milkweed). We put 300+ into his truck! He took the small plants to “Growing Grounds Nursery” where the city has a contract to grow plants being used by the city of San Luis Obispo for a variety of reasons. Growing grounds will transplant my…[Read more]

I had a successful meeting with our Mayor Heidi Harmon, and our City Biologist, Freddie Otte, on April 25, 2018 to discuss plans for city-wide demonstration gardens and other ways to provide Migratory Monarch butterfly way stations throughout the city of San Luis Obispo. In addition to having native milkweed seeds to donate to this project, I have…[Read more]

I was invited by “Love SLO” to help paint a Monarch Butterfly mural at The SLO Guild Hall’s demonstration pollinator garden by event organizer Scott Cam. This event was part of a city-wide volunteer service day. I had so much fun painting the mural and labeling rocks for plants in the garden!

Genevieve has set up a meeting for April 25, 2018 with San Luis Obispo Mayor, Mayor Heidi Harmon, the City of San Luis Obispo’s Biologist, Freddie Otte, to discuss projects that implement the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge. Genevieve has 1 lb of native milkweed seeds to donate to the City to use in demonstration pollinator gardens and at other local sites…[Read more]

Genevieve took time out to host her own screening party for the movie ” Jane.” She had a lot of fun sharing the life and works of her hero, Dr Jane Goodall, by inviting some of her friends to watch with her.

The National Wildlife Federation’s Magazine’s 2018 Special Issue on Gardening for Wildlife will include a story on Genevieve’s expansive work with Monarch Butterflies.

In an effort to spread the word to her friends at school, Genevieve has given a Monarch Butterfly tagging/processing demonstration at her elementary school: Bellevue Santa Fe Charter School. Her school has now been officially certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified School Wildlife Habitat! Check out the NWF’s website to see…[Read more]

Genevieve received the Mayors Monarch Pledge Proclamation in November, 2017. G will now assist the City of San Luis Obispo’s Natural Resource Manager, Bob Hill, in building demonstrator gardens and find ways to provide more pollinator habitat for Monarchs, bees and other pollinators throughout the city.

On November 21, 2017, 11 year old Genevieve Leroux, is going to receive a Proclamation from the Mayor of San Luis Obispo, California when Mayor Heidi Harmon takes the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. Genevieve wrote the Mayor this summer and asked for a meeting to discuss the Mayors’ willingness to take the NWF’s Mayors’…[Read more]

I have started giving out my plants (some have Monarch eggs and/or caterpillars already on them) so my community will be ready for both the Fall and Spring migrations of the Monarchs. I have learned it is important to understand that the California native milkweed should be used in larger restoration projects to try and avoid problems with…[Read more]

I have now collected the plants from the wholesale nursery who has been so helpful with my project and am finally ready to plant each milkweed plant in separate pots to offer my plants for free to those promising to plant them. My only request from the recipients who take my milkweed plants is a pledge to plant and care for them and letting me…[Read more]

I have grown the native milkweed Asclepias Fascicularis from seed with the help of a local wholesale nursery. I have given all of the plants away to friends and neighbors. Many of the plants had monarch eggs and/or small caterpillars on the leaves already because I grew the plants next to my own butterfly garden that is very good at attracting…[Read more]