Symbiosis - Monarchs & Milkweed

Monarch butterflies have a symbiotic relationship with milkweed. Adult butterflies pollinate milkweed flowers while gathering nectar, which helps the milkweed produce seeds. A monarch mother lays one egg per milkweed plant because baby caterpillars only eat milkweed leaves. The milkweed plant is not harmed by the munching caterpillar, but the caterpillar is able to grow, form a chrysalis, and metamorphize into a butterfly. The decline of both monarchs and milkweeds has been caused by habitat loss due to development, the use of herbicides on agricultural fields, and the mowing of ditches along roads. We can help the monarchs by planting milkweed in our gardens and not using herbicides.