Active until Saturday, August 29. For public safety, certain trails are restricted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monarch
Celebrate September Planting for Monarchs Month with us!
Check out these activities with fun for the whole family!
- 50+ Phoenix Library Programs and butterfly-themed book recommendations
- September 16 - Maricopa County Butterfly Workshop
- September 19 - Maricopa County Butterfly Monitoring Program
- September 24-30 - Visit Treeland Nursery and SummerWinds Nursery locations in the Phoenix metro area for 25% off desert (rush) milkweed, blackfoot daisy, and globemallow!
- September 29 - Join us to kick off the new Bird Friendly PHX program and sign the pledge with Mayor Gallego and Audubon Southwest at the Rio Salado Audubon Center (more details coming soon)
Live in the City of Phoenix and want to germinate native pollinator plants for your yard or patio? Send an email to oepinfo@phoenix.gov to request your free seed packet (while supplies last).
What are You doing to celebrate Planting for Monarchs Month?
Tag us using #PlantingforMonarchs at @PHXEnvironment on IG/FB.
Helping the monarch butterfly is easy! This Fall, plant native milkweed and nectar plants to give these beautiful butterflies what they need to survive and thrive. Native plants are essential for the monarch butterfly and other pollinators, while also supporting our Sonoran Desert biodiversity and conserving water. From a pot on a balcony to a whole yard, every native plant we add makes a difference for our pollinators and for us.
Not sure what plants to include? Check out the Sonoran Desert Pollinator Plant Guide in English or Spanish. And while you're here, check out our other cool resources and links!
Resources for Download
- Activity Book - Monarchs & Milkweed: Nature's Magic!
- Libro de Actividades - Monarcas y algodoncillo: ¡La Magia de la Naturaleza!
- Color, do a word search, and more while learning about monarch butterflies!
- Sonoran Desert Pollinator Plant Guide
- Desierto de Sonoran Guía de Plantas para Polinizadores
- This guide offers native plant ideas along with tips for planting, maintenance, and water.
Want to level up? Combine this plant guide with the Green Stormwater Infrastructure Handbook for Residents (available for download) and learn how to use stormwater to help water your native plants!
Monarch Conservation
Phoenix joined the Mayor's Monarch Pledge in 2021 to help support their multi-generation, 3,000-mile-long migration. Keep your eyes peeled for these beautiful butterflies in the Fall through Spring in Phoenix. This species is struggling due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change, but we can help.
Help the monarch butterfly Survive and Thrive!
Help the monarch butterfly Survive and Thrive!
Join us in the pledge by planting native milkweed and other native nectar plants to help the monarch butterfly and other pollinators! Let us know what you did on social media using #PlantingforMonarchs. Check out these top tips on how to help.
Planted a Pollinator Garden? Consider registering a monarch waystation or pollinator pathway:
View the Mayor's 2021 Monarch Proclamation
Resources
- Participate in monarch butterfly mapping citizen science
- Participate in milkweed mapping citizen science
- Southwest Monarch Study
- Desert Botanical Garden - Monarch ButterFlies and Milkweeds
- Pollinator Conservation Resources: Southwest Region
- AZ Monarch Collaborative Native Plant Sources
- Xerces Society Managing for Monarchs in the west
- National Wildlife Federation
- Monarch Joint Venture
- Maricopa Native Seed Library
- Monarch Education Resources
Ideas or suggestions? Email oepinfo@phoenix.gov with “monarch" in the subject line
Photograph by William Vann