Conservation Corner: Creating a Community Monarch Waystation

—Danny Molinaro, Director of Conservation and Land Stewardship

Friends of Rye Nature Center’s most recent partnership with the Rye Sustainability Committee (RSC) has been a collaborative effort to create a Monarch Waystation at the corner of Boston Post Road and Central Avenue in Rye. This exciting new project engages a variety of community members, from volunteers and students to residents and park visitors, all will be able to enjoy the fluttering friends passing through. The purpose of this project is to support monarch populations by providing and advocating for a healthy habitat.

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

To accomplish this, two sections of lawn are being replaced with beds of milkweed, a monarch food source. Three native species of milkweed have been selected including common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

Over time, we will introduce spring, summer, and fall wildflowers to further support all pollinators throughout the growing season. We hope that this project will inspire others to convert sections of their own lawns into healthy pollinator habitats. Please reach out to us if you’d like to find out more and if you or someone you know would like to create a similar project.