Help the Garden Track Monarchs This Winter

November 20, 2023

Have you seen monarch butterflies flying around your yard or favorite pollinator habitat? They are back for the winter season and in great numbers this year! Central and southern Arizona has monarchs roughly from October through March — it is too hot in the summer for...

Meet the Butterflies Arriving to Garden This Fall

September 18, 2023

The fall butterfly exhibit, Majestic Mariposas, opens Sept. 23 and is on display through Nov. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Learn about some of the Southwestern butterflies you can meet in the exhibit this fall: Monarch butterflies are well known for their...

Desert Refuge: A New Way To Help Monarch Butterflies

September 27, 2022

In July, the decline of the migratory monarch butterfly was once again in the spotlight. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified migratory monarchs as endangered, naming habitat loss and climate change as major factors for their decline. In the...

Assessing Suitability of Native Milkweeds

April 7, 2021

Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are the sole hostplant for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Monarch caterpillars must consume milkweeds to survive. As monarchs are facing drastic declines, largely tied to loss of plant habitat, the Garden’s pollinator...

February Ecoflora Challenge | Monarchs, Milkweed and Mystery

January 26, 2021

Join the February EcoQuest: Monarchs, Milkweeds and Mystery Find and map as many monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) as possible. Monarch butterflies are in severe decline, with numbers from 2020 showing the lowest ever...