Bringing Back the Monarch Magic

By Colleen Curran Hook, Executive Director, Quinta Mazatlán

Just four decades ago, in the early ’80s, millions of monarch butterflies were making their incredible journeys across North America. Their bright orange-and-black wings were everywhere, filling fields, forests, and skies with color. Today, we do not see nearly as many, but the good news is that there is plenty we can do to keep their magic alive.

Let’s learn from history so we can move forward. Monarch numbers have declined because of pesticide use, the loss of milkweed, which is their main food source, and shrinking natural habitats along their migration routes. Climate change and other environmental challenges also make their journeys even harder.

This time of year, monarchs are on their spring migration, flying north from their overwintering homes in Mexico back to the United States and Canada. Along the way, they lay eggs on milkweed plants, starting the next generation of butterflies. It is an incredible journey that can cover up to 2,800 miles, and it depends on healthy habitats along the way. This is exactly where we can make a difference.

Our City of McAllen Mayor, Javier Villalobos, supports the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge led by the National Wildlife Federation. The pledge encourages cities and citizens to create habitats that help monarchs thrive, ensuring these butterflies continue to fill our skies for generations.

How Families and Communities Can Help

1. Create a Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Plant milkweed, native flowers, and shrubs that bloom throughout the year. Even a small garden or balcony planter can provide food and habitat for monarchs, bees, and other pollinators.

2. Reduce or Eliminate Pesticides

Skip chemical sprays in your yard or garden. Pollinators need safe spaces to feed and lay eggs.

3. Attend McAllen’s Monarch Festival

Join Quinta Mazatlán on April 25th, 9 am to 2 pm, for McAllen’s Monarch Fest. Bring the family, students, and scouts to learn about monarchs, see educational exhibits, buy native milkweed, and get inspired to take action.

4. Support Community Pollinator Spaces

Volunteer at Quinta Mazatlán, other parks, and schools to plant pollinator-friendly gardens. Every patch counts along the monarchs’ migration route.

5. Spread the Word

Invite friends to McAllen’s Monarch Festival, volunteer for garden projects, and share what you learn about monarchs and other pollinators.

6. Provide Water and Shelter

A shallow dish with pebbles or a small pond gives bees and butterflies a place to drink. Leave undisturbed areas, dead logs, or leaf piles for nesting.

7. Buy Local Native Plants

Supporting local native plant growers helps provide the right food and habitat for pollinators while supporting your community.

8. Participate in Citizen Science

Record pollinator sightings with apps like iNaturalist or join local butterfly counts to help scientists track populations.

Monarchs are among the most recognizable insects in the world, and, along with other butterflies, they play an important role as pollinators. Many wildflowers rely on monarchs for plant reproduction. By protecting monarchs and other butterflies and insects, we show how something small can create big change in our environment.