Texans Can Get Paid To Plant Monarch Butterfly Habitats

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• Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange
• Texas state insect
• Flies through Texas every spring

I took an unlikely picture of a monarch butterfly in the empty lot across from the radio station on November 7, 2017. Their migration is scheduled to go through in the spring.

The overgrown patch of weeds it was nestled in is the only thing they ever eat. Milkweed comes in a lot of different varieties and this was Texas milkweed.

What are the odds that I found the Texas state insect eating Texas milkweed in Texas? It made for an interesting shot. I was unaware then that this species of insect was in trouble.

Texas Landowners Paid To Restore Monarch Habitat 

It takes 4 generations for the monarch butterfly to make its yearly trip across the Americas. They migrate just like birds when things get too hot or too cold.

They all land in nearly the same spot in Mexico to exchange war stories at the end of their journey. The trek has become perilous because of how farmers and landowners excel at getting rid of pesky weeds.

As a result, monarch populations have declined by more than 90 percent in the last twenty years. Texas is a big part of their life cycle and the Environmental Defense Fund came up with a way to pay Texas farmers for planting milkweed.

How Do Texans Get Paid To Restore Monarch Butterfly Habitats? 

Texas landowners can generate credits by planting milkweed in the buffer areas of their crops. Those credits are purchased by industries that want to offset their environmental footprint.

Pollinator gardens are becoming all the rage, and now you know why. Help save the monarch and plant some milkweed.