Build a Way Station for Monarch Butterflies

Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel

The Monarch Butterfly’s Journey
Adult monarchs that hatch in late summer or early fall do not mate or lay eggs — their only job is to migrate south, some 3,000 miles, to roosting grounds where they will overwinter. The map below shows the paths they take.

Southbound monarchs feed along the way, storing fat in their abdomens that will sustain them for the flight and throughout the winter. In spring, these same monarchs begin the trip back north, laying eggs on milkweed plants in the southern United States before dying. Newly hatched caterpillars feed on the milkweed. When they reach adulthood, they continue the journey north, feeding and laying eggs along the route until the third or fourth generation reaches the home of its ancestors from the previous year.

The red arrows on the map above show how most monarch butterflies migrate south to central Mexico. Those that live in regions west of the Rocky Mountains overwinter in southwestern coastal California. Short days and cool temperatures initiate the trip, which can take up to two months. 

In their overwintering grounds, they cluster together, awaiting the return of warm weather. In spring they follow the paths indicated by the green arrows on the map above.

How to Create a Way Station in Your Garden
Monarch sustenance has greatly diminished over the years due to loss of wildlife habitats. Monarchs need both nectar plants for adult butterflies and milkweed host plants for laying eggs and feeding caterpillars. Follow these recommendations to establish a way station:

• A 10-foot x 10-foot area is sufficient for growing plants dedicated to monarch feeding and on which they can lay eggs. It can be in patches throughout your garden or in one single space. If the area is in patches, plant in groups of three or more so it is easier for monarchs to find.
• The area should get at least six hours of sun per day so blooms are plentiful. Monarchs also rely on sun to warm their bodies for flight.
• Plants should be placed close enough to make it easy for adults and caterpillars to move from plant to plant.
• Choose plants that will thrive in your area and that can be maintained without using pesticides. Use of both herbicides or insecticides in your waystation could harm monarch caterpillars or adults. Choose nectar producing plants that bloom sequentially all summer with emphasis on fall bloomers for migrating monarchs.

Annuals to Include in a Monarch Way Station

• Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
• Lantana (Lantana camara)
• Marigold (Tagetes spp. and hybrids)
• Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)
• Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
• Verbena (Verbena bonariensis)
• Zinnia (Zinnia spp. and hybrids)

Perennials for a Monarch Way Station

• Blazing star (Liatris spp. and hybrids)
• Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp. and hybrids)
• False sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
• Mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea)
• New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
• Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

Be Sure Your Garden Includes Host Plant Milkweeds
Growing 10 milkweed plants of one species is ideal. Even better is to have at least five each of two or more different species since they mature at different times. Adult monarchs sip nectar from milkweeds. One monarch caterpillar can eat over 20 milkweed leaves in its lifetime. Caterpillars may nearly defoliate the plants, but the milkweeds will recover. The following chart includes milkweed species that are native to our region, Northeast Ohio.

Monarchs also require places to roost along their flight path as they only fly during the day. At night they seek shelter in dense evergreen trees like cedar and fir. Although they may be from different generations, migrating monarchs often follow the same route and use the same roosting sites each year. They also need protection from wind and rain. Planting woody shrubs near perennials provides shelter. Providing a water source is also important. A shallow dish of water can work, but the best source is moisture from damp sand or soil in a shallow dish. Monarchs (and other butterflies) often congregate on such dishes to “puddle,” probing the soil with slender mouthparts to drink water and extract nutrients from the soil.

It doesn’t take a lot of space to add the appropriate plants to your garden to provide a waystation for migrating monarchs and provide host plants for caterpillars. The enjoyment in watching them land on the flowers and excitement of finding chrysalises on the milkweeds is well worth the effort.

Article Sources:
americanmeadows.com/blogs/wildflower-seeds/best-wildflower-seeds-for-monarch-migration

“Best Wildflowers For Attracting Monarchs to the Garden” – Posted by American Meadows content team on Feb 9, 2018 · Revised on Dec 16, 2025

Garden Gate ‘Notes” online newsletter, “How to Establish a Monarch Waystation in your Garden”
by Jennifer Howell

Photos courtesy of Pexels

Note: Many thanks to Garden Gate for providing the map that complements the explanation of  the monarch butterfly migration!