THAT TIME OF YEAR---HELP MONARCHS ON THEIR LONG MIGRATION SOUTH

Welcome to Everything Croton, a collection of all things Croton--our history, our homes, our issues, our businesses, our schools, our houses of worship--in short, EVERYTHING CROTON.

FROM DEC DELIVERS----Help Monarchs on their Long Migration South

In New York, Monarch butterflies begin their annual fall migration in mid-August. These butterflies are the great-great-grandchildren of the monarchs that migrated to Mexico last fall.

Here are some ways you can help monarchs:  Turn a portion of your lawn into a wildflower meadow to provide food (nectar); plant milkweed or other native wildflowers. 

Delay mowing areas with milkweed until later in the fall. 

Avoid using pesticides—they kill all life-stages of monarchs (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult). 

Report sightings of adults or caterpillars online. View a map of the sightings so far this year—caterpillars have already been spotted across the northeast!   

Not sure when their migration peaks in your area? Check out this chart.   

Chrysalis Stage --Have you seen a small green pod about an inch-long? It could be a monarch caterpillar (larva) after it enters the pupa stage and is now in a chrysalis. If you see one, try not to disturb it. They will find a safe place, often under a milkweed leaf to enter this stage in their development, which lasts about 9-14 days. Sometimes they will pupate hanging under eaves, decks, other garden plants, or even on window screens!