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The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) floats at the top of North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s pollinator priorities. Along with other pollinators, it has been in severe decline due to habitat loss, misuse of pesticides and climate change. For monarchs and other pollinators to thrive, we must add a diversity of native plants to the landscape to restore suitable habitat. 

Like other pollinators, the monarch butterfly relies on a single group of plants for reproduction: milkweed (Asclepias spp.). They are a group of flowering, herbaceous perennials with several species occurring in North Carolina. Milkweed grows in a variety of habitats – from prairies and open fields to riparians and swamps to sandhills and beach dunes.

Pollinators continue to make global headlines as native bumble bees, migrating monarch butterflies and other insect pollinators decline. Habitat loss from development, urbanization, intensive agriculture, invasive species, and other manmade threats like climate change.

The Butterfly Highway is a statewide conservation restoration initiative that aims to restore native pollinator habitats to areas impacted by urbanization, land use change and agriculture across North Carolina. From backyard Pollinator Pitstops to large-scale roadside habitat restoration, the project is creating a network of native flowering plants to support butterflies, bees, birds and other pollen and nectar dependent wildlife.