What is Homes4Monarchs?
Homes4Monarchs is an Illinois state-registered nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration of native Midwestern pollinators like the monarch butterfly, whose population has declined 80 PERCENT since 1996.
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Homes4Monarchs success lies in our two-pronged approach to spur positive ecological action:
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Assembling and distributing FREE native plant seed such as milkweed (The monarch caterpillar's only food source) to residents, libraries, administration centers, museums, train stations, places of worship, nature centers, and other public spaces. These seeds will grow sustainable gardens with food and habitats for butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Holding FREE public events, presentations, and social media campaigns throughout Chicagoland that promote conservation and pollinator gardening. ​​
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As of now, Homes4Monarchs has participated in or organized nearly 100 events, and collaborated with nearly 2,000 volunteers to assemble and distribute over 21,000 free milkweed seed packets from 2016-2018 and assemble 20,000 native-plant seedballs, and an additional 20,000 milkweed seed packets in 2019!
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What Is A Monarch Butterfly?
For many Americans, summer is not complete without spotting the vivid orange and black striped wings of the monarch butterfly. However, few people know of the most extraordinary facts about these amazing insects.
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To learn more about each topic, click the link on each section heading!
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The monarch butterfly lays her eggs individually. When the eggs hatches the caterpillar (larvae) spends two straight weeks consuming milkweed leaves and shedding its skin five times (called instars) before its skin splits open and becomes a chrysalis (pupae). In the chrysalis, the caterpillar's body breaks down and is rebuilt in the shape of a butterfly. This is called metamorphosis. After two weeks, it emerges as a mature adult butterfly.
Monarchs have five generations throughout the summer. The first four live only two weeks. The last ones live eight months, and travel over 3,000 miles each way from their summer ranges in the eastern U.S./Canada to one clouded forest in one mountain in Mexico, where they cling to native fir trees in the millions to survive the winter. This migration is considered to be the longest annual migration of any known insect.
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Milkweed, a type of meadow flower with over 100 species all native to the Americas, is the only plant on which female monarchs will lay their eggs, and are the only plant monarch caterpillars will eat. The toxins the caterpillar ingests from the milkweed makes it poisonous to any any animal who tries to eat it, even after it transforms from a larvae (caterpillar) to adult.
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What is Pollination?
Pollen is a powder formed by seed-producing plants.
Pollination is the process of transferring the plant's male reproductive cells (pollen) to the plant's female reproductive structures so that sperm and egg can meet and create a seed. However, since plants cannot move, they cannot find a mate and reproduce by themselves.
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Pollinators are animals that transfer pollen to fertilize plants. Many insects and some bats are pollinators. Hummingbirds, some monkeys, some rodents and other animals are pollinators, too. Humans can be pollinators as well!
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Pollinators are ESSENTIAL to our environment. Scientists estimate that up to 90% of all flowering plants depends on pollinators!
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Pollinators are ESSENTIAL to our civilization. 35% (around 1 in 3) of the foods we eat require pollination.
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Below are just some of the foods we eat every day that depend on pollinators:
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ALFALFA: leafcutter bees and honey bees
ALMOND: honey bees
ANISE: honey bee
APPLE: honey bees, blue mason orchard bees
APRICOT: bees
AVOCADO: bees, flies, bats
BANANA: birds, fruit bats
BASIL: butterflies
BLUEBERRY: Over 115 kinds of bees
CARDAMOM: honey bees, solitary bees
CASHEW: bees, moths, fruit bats
CHERRY: honey bees, Bumblebees, Solitary bees, flies
CHOCOLATE: midges (flies), stingless bees
COCONUT: insects and fruit bats
COFFEE: stingless bees, other bees or flies
CORIANDER: honey bees, solitary bees
CRANBERRY: Over 40 native bees, including bumble
DAIRY PRODUCTS: Dairy cows eat alfalfa pollinated by bees
FIG: 800 kinds of fig wasps
GRAPE: bees
GRAPEFRUIT: bees
KIWIFRUIT: honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees
LAVENDAR: butterflies, bees
MACADAMIA NUT: bees, beetles, wasps
MANGO: bees, flies, wasps
MELON: bees
NUTMEG: honey bees, bird
PAPAYA: moths, birds, bees
PEACH: bees
PEAR: honey bees, flies, mason bees
PEPPERMINT: flies, bees
PUMPKIN: squash and gourd bees, bumblebees
RASPBERRY and BLACKBERRY: honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees, hover flies
SESAME: bees, flies, wasps
STRAWBERRY: bees
SUGARCANE: bees, thrips
TEA PLANTS: flies, bees and other insects
TEQUILA (AGAVE): bats
TOMATO: bumble bees
VANILLA: bees
ZUCCHINI: bees​