Monarch butterflies have been classified as an endangered species since 2022. In 2024, eastern monarch butterfly populations have decreased by 59%, bringing them closer to extinction. As expected, monarch butterfly sightings are not as common as they used to be, particularly in my community and the rest of Long Island.
My project is to help create more monarch butterfly gardens in the backyards of our community. By creating “Monarch Butterfly Garden in a Box,” I can reach more community members. The box would contain seeds of plants that monarch butterflies need to feed and oviposit on, including common milkweed and native nectar plants. The box would also contain information about how and where to plant the seeds and their care. I would also create an email to answer questions and try to follow-up with families to assess how successful a seed distribution project can be. I plan to create at least 100 prototype boxes and give them to children who live in the community. Working with younger children, I can help educate them about Monarch butterfly conservation and distribute the boxes and encourage them to plant the seeds at home with their parents.
The goal of my “Monarch Butterfly Garden in a Box” project is to promote conservation by encouraging children to plant more monarch butterfly gardens in the backyards of our community. The “Monarch Butterfly Garden in a Box” kit contain seeds of plants that monarch butterflies need to feed and oviposit on, including common milkweed or butterfly milkweed and 2 types of native nectar plants, including black-eyed susans and purple coneflower. The box also contain 3 cow pots, information about how and where to plant the seeds and their care, as well as a list of informational websites. I also created an email to answer questions. I was also able to grow some butterfly milkweed indoors as I planned on giving these away to the children. I was able to make 150 Monarch Garden in a Box kits and most, if not all of them, were distributed to local non-profit organizations. Most of the kit recipients were children, which was my goal. I was able to give workshop presentations to the campers at the Science Museum of LI and explain the kit and why it is important to save monarch butterflies. At TRSAC, I was able to interact with visitors and volunteers, and explain the use of the kit for conservation. I really enjoyed interacting with the children, educating them, and encouraging them to become active monarch butterfly conservationists. They also really liked the baby milkweed plants!
Through this project, I learned which plants we would need for a successful monarch butterfly garden. I also learned to change my presentation depending on the age of the children I was addressing.
When I continue with this project next spring, I would encourage the children to send me pictures of their plants and possibly fill out a survey so that I can assess the success of the project.
My favorite part of the project was giving the children the kit and baby milkweed plant. The smiles and excitement on their faces make me feel hopeful about monarch butterfly conservation.
I timed this project to coincide with the week of Earth Day. Growing the baby milkweed plants takes a while as I had to sow the seeds indoors. Make sure to place the pots/trays near a window that gets plenty of sun and be patient. It took about 2 weeks before the seeds started to germinate. I sowed the seeds about 3 to 4 weeks before the planned distribution of the kits.
