If you’re here, you’re probably a nature lover, like me. Or maybe you want to convince someone else to be one. This is a great place to start.
The purpose of this site is to educate, and to promote conservation. The information you need will be listed on my Resource page. When the Junior Crusader pages are complete, you will have a roadmap of activities to help save the monarch, together with levels of achievement and rewards.
Raising monarch butterflies is an excellent Introduction to Nature project for families, classrooms and youth groups. It starts with a hunt for caterpillars, and ends with the release of a miracle less than a month later. All sorts of discoveries abound along the way, while happy memories of friends and family expeditions are created.
FOLLOW THE MONARCH CRUSADER ON FACEBOOK
The Monarch Butterfly Crusader
Monika Hall-Camilletti. This is her story. She is making a big difference in her area.
"A neighborhood in Novi, Michigan is trading 1000 square feet of lawn in their common areas for native plant gardens! Their hope is to provide habitats and food sources for the wildlife, while adding valued beauty to their community. A bonus is the educational component of the project that is inspiring some homeowners to incorporate native plants into their own properties too.
This picture shows one of the four new gardens. It was designed by Creating Sustainable Landscapes and planted by neighborhood volunteers. These plants are small now, but we can't wait to see them grow and bloom!
Here are the plants that were used (along with some of their known benefits to wildlife):
wild petunia (larval host and nectar)
prairie dock (nectar and seed source)
wild bergamot (nectar)
hairy beardtongue (larval host)
nodding onion (nectar)
showy goldenrod (larval host and nectar)
beardtongue (seed)
pale purple coneflower (seed)"
Thanks, Monika!
