100 Plants to Feed the Monarch: Create a Healthy Habitat to Sustain North America’s Most Beloved Butterfly

Attracting and protecting monarch butterflies is easy and necessary, according to this urgent guide from the conservation nonprofit Xerces Society. “A simple patch of milkweeds and a couple of other wildflowers next to your own front door can be the place where a tiny egg hatches and grows to become part of an epic story,” the authors write, and offer key facts about the species, including an outline of the monarch life cycle, mating habits, and migration patterns. To counter dire threats to the butterflies, including insecticides and climate change, the authors suggest readers make pollinator gardens using native plants, detailing such basics as sun exposure, soil type, and bloom time, and survey more than 30 varieties of milkweed, which butterflies lay eggs upon, as well as 100 other beneficial “host” plants that provide life-sustaining nectar. The brief tips on garden design feel out of place, but the guidance on plant basics is straightforward and easy to follow. These eye-opening tips will appeal to both seasoned conservationists and those new to the cause. (Mar.)