Streator Monarch Mission

04/12/2026

https://a-z-animals.com/articles/spring-monarch-migration-is-underway-as-populations-rebound/

The area where monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico increased by 64 percent from 2024 to 2025. This is good news for monarch populations.

03/29/2026

🌸🦋

His name was Joseph Shauquethqueat.

A Mohican leader, respected community figure, and the man history remembers as "Joe Pye."

Somewhere along the way, his name got attached to one of late summer's most powerful native plants. And then someone added the word w**d.

That plant is Joe Pye W**d. It’s a host plant for 35+ species of butterfly and moth caterpillars.

Swallowtails, painted ladies, skippers, and monarchs all depend on it when most other flowers have already called it quits for the season.

It's not a w**d.
It's a lifeline and it carries the name of a man whose legacy deserves to be remembered.

The full story + where to find it are in the comments. 👇

03/14/2026

Do you remember last fall, when monarchs were tagged with tiny trackers on their migration south? Tracking continues this spring as monarchs head north.

Project Monarch, a collaborative effort started by Cellular Tracking Technologies and the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center, allows people to follow individual monarchs. Each blue dot represents a time when this monarch, named CHI010, was located. These devices operate on the same frequency as Bluetooth, meaning they can be picked up by people's cell phones.

Sightings to Journey North, a community science program of the Monarch Joint Venture, have also picked up in Texas recently, including near the Texas-Oklahoma border.

It's that time of year!

Will you be tagging the beautiful orange fluttering creatures? I will be ! ❤️

03/14/2026

THIS makes my heart so happy!!!! way to go California! 🥰🦋🐛

I’ve worked so hard for this (as have so many others that care)
Nina~

03/14/2026

Make sure the milkw**d you plant is for your specific zone!

5 Key Milkw**d Facts & Characteristics:

Monarch Connection:

Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkw**d, and their caterpillars feed exclusively on its leaves.

Toxic Protection: The milky latex, found in stems and leaves, makes the plant unpalatable to most animals, while Monarch larvae store these toxins to become poisonous themselves.

Unique Structure & Reproduction: Flowers are complex, often in spherical clusters (umbels), and are pollinated by insects that get trapped if not strong enough, sometimes dying on the plant.

Seed Dispersal: Seed pods burst open in late summer, releasing seeds attached to fluffy white silk (floss) that travel on the wind.

Varieties: Common Milkw**d (A. syriaca), Swamp Milkw**d (A. incarnata), and Butterfly W**d (A. tuberosa) are popular native species.

Cultural & Historic Use: Native Americans used various species for fiber to make rope, and medicinally, for treating warts and illnesses.
WWII Usage: The fluffy floss inside pods was used to fill life jackets during World War II

03/14/2026

Google can be your best friend!!

Here are a few fun facts!

They can fly 50-100 miles a day, occasionally reaching speeds over 12 mph.
The chrysalis is green with gold spots and takes 10-14 days to mature.
A single female can lay between 300 to 500 eggs during her lifetime.
They have been spotted at altitudes of 11,000 feet.

03/14/2026

03/14/2026

This is pushed back to 11:00.

03/04/2026

❤️🦋🐝

Please click the link to complete this form.

02/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1bPRBTtMLw/

Native plants do a lot of heavy lifting in the home landscape by providing food and shelter for native insects, birds, and other wildlife. Explore how to find balance in your yard by mixing in "keystone" native plants, which are anchors of the entire ecosystem.

Read more about how to add native plants into your home landscape at https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2024-01-20-how-many-natives-should-i-plant.

Planning for spring gardening? 🦋 Check out the Illinois Pollinators website for plant suggestions at https://go.illinois.edu/IllinoisPollinators.