Preserving plants like milkweed is vital to protecting monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Milkweed is essential to the survival of monarch butterflies as monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed and caterpillars only eat milkweed plants. Other pollinators, including different bee and butterfly species, also pollinate on milkweed because it provides valuable nectar resources. You can find native milkweed growing along the Esplanade!

The Esplanade Association has linked Unraveling the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery, a short video that shares the fascinating story on the migration of monarch butterflies and features how milkweed is essential to their species.