Eastern monarch butterfly

The Eastern monarch butterfly migrates every year between wintering areas in central Mexico and summer breeding grounds in the Eastern US and Canada. Female monarchs lays eggs exclusively on milkweed plants, which are the only food their caterpillars can eat, while adult butterflies drink nectar from a variety of flowers. Monarchs have been declining for several years, and one of the ways people are responding is by planting milkweeds for monarchs to lay eggs on, and planting or encouraging other wildflowers for adults to use as a nectar source.