Led by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, this western monarch call to action provides a set of rapid response conservation actions that can help the western monarch population bounce back from its critically low numbers. We also support longer-term recovery efforts in place for western monarchs, such as the Western Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) plan.

The five key steps to recovering the western monarch population in the short term are:

1. Restore monarch breeding and migratory habitat 
2. Protect monarchs and their habitat from pesticides
3. Protect and manage California overwintering sites
4. Spread the word about monarch and pollinator conservation
5. Participate in community science

It is also vital that we continue to answer key research questions about how to best aid western monarch recovery.

Saving western monarchs depends upon getting a lot of people involved, quickly.  Share this resource with your local officials, park managers, gardeners, plant nurseries, and community.

The Xerces Society’s work is only possible with the support of donors like you. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today.

Last updated January 2026.

The primary focus for habitat restoration should be the Coast Range, Central Valley, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, areas that are critical to producing the first generation of western monarchs in the spring.

1. Plant flowers which are attractive to monarchs and other butterflies, with an emphasis on the best monarch nectar plants for your region.
   • Prioritize planting species that bloom in spring (February–May) and fall (September–November), when nectar is especially valuable for migratory monarchs. If you live along the Pacific coast, include winter-blooming (December–February) nectar species as well. California residents can use the filters in Calscape’s plant directory to find regionally appropriate, butterfly-attracting plants that bloom across seasons.
2. Plant native milkweed, especially species which emerge earliest and are already at the seedling,  transplant or rhizome stage. Find milkweed vendors.
   • Early emerging species native to California include woollypod (Asclepias eriocarpa), California (A. californica), and heartleaf (A. cordifolia) milkweeds. Later-emerging native species with more seed availability include narrowleaf (A. fascicularis) and showy (A. speciosa) milkweeds which are native to a broad area of the western U.S.
   • Plant milkweed in its native range. Explore regional milkweed guides to learn more about local species. If you live in California, you can also use Calscape to find native milkweed species by entering your zip code or address.
   • Avoid planting milkweed near overwintering sites. Milkweed planted close to overwintering habitat can alter monarch behavior and increase disease risk. Instead, opt for nectar plants and known overwintering trees and shrubs.
3. Help increase the supply of insecticide-free native milkweed and nectar plants.
   • Ask your local nursery to start supplying native milkweed.
   • Organize a group to collect local milkweed seed and propagate it.
   • Encourage nurseries to implement pollinator-safe practices.

Pesticides, especially insecticides, pose a major threat to butterflies and other pollinators, and protecting monarchs from these harmful chemicals is a responsibility we all share. Those who live and work near overwintering sites should be especially cautious with pesticide use, as monarch populations are particularly vulnerable when they gather in large numbers. At the same time, residents and land managers across the West can help safeguard this iconic species by taking steps to minimize pesticide exposure risks wherever they live and work.

1. Prioritize use of non-chemical options to prevent and manage pests whenever possible. This applies to all landscapes, from home gardens to agricultural lands.
2. Do not apply insecticides in or immediately adjacent to overwintering sites when monarchs are present. Use caution when applying pesticides such as herbicides and fungicides. Make applications only for economic or public-health pests when non-chemical options are not feasible, and use the least-toxic products and most targeted application methods available.
3. Use the same level of caution to limit pesticide contamination and exposure in breeding and migratory habitats when monarchs may be present.
   • Avoid using pesticides to control insects, weeds, or other pests for purely cosmetic reasons.
   • If using pesticides, choose the least-toxic option available, apply them in the most targeted way possible, and take steps to prevent off-site movement.
   • Avoid applying pesticides directly to milkweed or flowering plants.
4. Purchase from nurseries that work to keep harmful pesticides out of plant production. 

Garden plants are frequently treated with insecticides to prevent unsightly holes rather than to promote healthy plants. Such cosmetic use should be banned as the chemicals can harm flower-visiting insects. (Photo: Xerces Society / Stephanie McKnight)

Each year, overwintering sites—even legally protected ones—are destroyed or damaged by human activities such as development or inappropriate tree cutting, sometimes forcing monarchs to abandon them. You can help by taking these actions:

• Find your local overwintering sites and become an advocate for their protection and active management. If the site is publicly managed, see if there is a Friends group you can join, donate to, or volunteer with. Reach out to land managers and any entities with rights-of-way (e.g., utilities or roads) to ensure they understand the unique habitat present on the property.
• Notify the Xerces Society of any damage or threats to overwintering habitat.
• Contact your elected officials at the local, regional and state levels to advocate for the protection of monarch overwintering sites near you.
• If you steward an overwintering site, learn how to manage forested habitat to benefit monarchs and get support by joining the Overwintering Land Managers Working Group. Contact monarchs@xerces.org for more information. 

• Share pollinator and monarch conservation messages at school, work, places of worship, or on social media, and encourage your friends and family to take action.

• Organize your community to become a Bee City USA or Bee Campus USA.

• Install a pollinator habitat sign to let your friends and neighbors know that you’re providing a safe place for pollinators.

• Sign the Pollinator Protection Pledge, and encourage at least one other person to do the same.

• Volunteer with a local organization to restore habitat for monarchs and pollinators.

• Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program. Help scientists understand how monarchs use their environment by recording milkweed, nectar plants, and monarch activity across different land-use types and regions.
• Monarch Larva Monitoring Project. Track monarch eggs and caterpillars to learn where and how many monarchs are breeding, providing data that informs and inspires conservation efforts.
• Monarch Nectar Plant Database. Share photos of nectaring monarchs to help scientists learn which flowers monarchs prefer and how they use nectar resources throughout the year.
• Western Monarch Count. Survey overwintering habitat each fall and winter. Your observations contribute to decades of data tracking western monarch populations and help scientists monitor long-term declines (Schultz et al. 2017; Pelton et al 2019).
• Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper. Report sightings of monarchs and milkweed across the West. This information helps scientists map breeding areas, track phenology, and guide conservation efforts. Observations are especially needed in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana.

You can find additional community science opportunities through Monarch Joint Venture.

Thank you to the western monarch researchers and partners with whom conversations about the most effective actions we need to take helped form the basis of this call to action.

Thank you to all the Western Monarch Count volunteers and partners whose dedication makes understanding the population’s status possible.

Thank you to all the individuals and groups already doing good work on behalf of monarch conservation. Your work is critical—keep it up!