Monarch Waystation
WHAT IS A WAYSTATION?
Monarch Waystations are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration.
 Locations must have sun exposure, sufficient space to avoid overcrowding, nectar-producing plants, and absolutely must have milkweed!
MAKE your own waystation
Visit Monarch Watch Monarch Waystation Program to learn how to build your own waystation at home!
The importance of milkweed
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are a specialized species that require milkweed for their caterpillars. Milkweed makes monarchs poisonous, which deters predators.
Many milkweed species are under threat, as people remove them for industrial and agricultural development. This transformation of the natural landscape makes it difficult for monarchs to travel between their summer and overwintering sites and complete its life cycle.
MONARCH SAFE PROGRAM
The Abilene Zoo is proud to participate in the AZA Monarch SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program, a collaborative effort dedicated to protecting healthy populations of monarch butterflies and other important pollinators.
Through this program, the Abilene Zoo helps raise awareness about monarch conservation through special events, educational opportunities, and our very own monarch waystation. Visit the waystation in front of the Bird Gardens and enjoy a parade of pollinators throughout spring and summer, including Monarchs in the month of September/October!
You can help support monarch conservation and the work of the Conservation Committee by donating today.
monarch migration
