Monarch butterfly populations have dwindled over the years, so USDA is launching a project to create and enhance habitat for the iconic butterfly in 10 states in the southern Plains and the Midwest, says Jason Weller, chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It’s a voluntary program, Weller writes in a USDA blog. “Because monarch butterflies are often on the move, they need to have the right plants at the right time along their migration route, including milkweed, which is the sole food source for monarch caterpillars. We worked with butterfly experts across the United States to choose the best plant species for monarchs based on geographic location and value to monarchs.”
In the Plains, “our work will focus on rangelands and ways to improve the health of pastures so they provide good forage for livestock and food for monarchs,” wrote Weller. In the Midwest, the program aims to integrate plants beneficial to the butterflies into cropland and to improve wetlands. Money for the project will come equally from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and a fund for existing easements on wetlands. The USDA project is part of an administration drive to boost the eastern population of monarchs to 225 million by 2020.