Monarch THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY IS ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S MOST ICONIC POLLINTOR SPECIES - Sand Creek Regional Greenway
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Monarch THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY
IS ONE OF NORTH
Sand Creek Regional Greenway Partnership
7350 E. 29th Ave Suite 300
BUTTERFLY
Denver, CO 80238
AMERICA'S MOST ICONIC (303) 468-3263
POLLINTOR SPECIES. www.sandcreekgreenway.org
Many butterflies have host CAN YOU FIND THE EGG ON
plants they lay their eggs on.
For monarchs that plant is the THE MILKWEED PLANT?
Milkweed plant!
The female will only lay eggs on
milkweed.
The monarch egg is as big as the
tip of a pen. Usually there is only
one egg per plant.
Once the egg hatches, the
caterpillar will live on the milkweed
plant.
The monarch caterpillar will only eat the
leaves of the milkweed.
The toxins in the milkweed plant make
the caterpillar and butterfly poisonous.
DRAW YOUR OWN MONARCH CATERPILLAR
After the caterpillar
finishes feeding, it They stay as a
spins a silk mat, chrysalis for 9-
14 days.
and hangs upside
down from a twig.
COLOR THE
CHRYSALIS
After two
weeks the
butterfly
emerges from
the chrysalis.
Before the
butterfly can fly,
it must pump its
wings with blood
to make them
strong!
CIRCLE THE COLORS OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY
The wingspan
of a full-grown
monarch can
reach 5
inches.
Every fall, when the
weather gets chilly, the To warmer climates like
And flies more than
monarch leaves its home Southern California and
2,000 miles south
in Canada and the Central Mexico
United States
CAN YOU HELP THIS MONARCH
MIGRATE FROM CANADA TO
MEXICO?
Draw your
own butterfly
and make it
Welcome back, butterflies!
whatever
color you'd
like
DON'T WORRY! THE MONARCH MAKES IT WAY BACK TO CANADA
AND THE UNITED STATES EVERY SUMMER WHEN IT IS WARM AGAIN!
Milkweed on the Sand Creek Regional Greenway
The Sand Creek Regional Greenway is the perfect habitat Use this guide to help you explore where milkweed and monarch
for the monarch butterfly! might be along the greenway!
Bluff Lake Nature Center Star K Ranch Smith Road Trailhead Commerce City Wetlands
Bluff Lake Nature Center is a wildlife Star K Ranch in Aurora, is a great If in the north east Denver area, the The Commerce City Wetlands is a
classroom and a nature refuge and has place to visit when searching for Smith Road Trailhead is the perfect rare restoration success story in an
special rules for visiting (no pets, no milkweed and monarch butterflies. place to start your search for industrial jungle. The small loop
bicycles) to protect the wildlife. Their Trails through Star K connect to the milkweed and monarch butterflies. around the wetland offers a 360°
biggest milkweed patch is in and Sand Creek Greenway and the High From the trailhead, head west and opportunity to find milkweed and
around the parking lot. You can also Line Canal. The boardwalk bridge next look in the vegetation along the creek monarchs.
find milkweed along the trail by the to the wetland pond is the best spot in side.
amphitheater. Star K Ranch to look for milkweed.
Remember, when looking for butterflies, stay on the trail and don't touch wildlife.
As of 2018, the monarch How can you help?
SAVE THE
population is just 1% of what You can create a safe habitat for
MONARCH monarchs by making and
it was in 1980. Which means dispersing milkweed seed
BUTTERFLY
for every 160 monarch balls!
All you need is:
butterflies then, there is only • Non-dyed, non-toxic clay (either powdered
or prepared, available at craft stores)
one left today. The population numbers • Organic soil or compost
are down due to: • Water
• Milkweed seeds
Climate Make the Balls:
• Mix 2 parts clay to 1 part soil (prepare to get
change a little dirty)
Habitat • Slowly add water until it looks like playdoh
• Roll round balls about the size of quarter
loss
Decline in
• Poke a dent in each ball with your finger and
insert 2-3 seeds
• Cover the seeds and roll the ball round again
milkweed • Dry for a few hours until hard
How to plant them:
Milkweed seeds need a cold snap to help the
Lack of nectar seeds grow
• Toss the seed balls into your yard during late
sources fall or through the winter.
• Or save them in a cold, dry area, like your
freezer, for a few weeks (2-3 months works
best) and toss them out in early spring.
• The seeds will get water and sun from the
environment.
• Sit back and watch your plants grow!
Sta ti stics on monarch population decline from the
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