We chose the monarch butterfly as our "mascot" for many reasons. Did you know that Monarch Butterflies migrate from the eastern United States to southern California and Mexico? As far as we know, there are no customs stops or border patrol for them to pass through -- good thing! They overwinter in warmer climates with food sources and then migrate again to the north the following summer. The same butterflies don't make both trips back and forth, but their offspring do. This is a photo of a monarch butterfly visiting a milkweed flower at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, where Bri worked as an intern one summer, in New Hope, PA. This picture was taken on the day that we found Bri's engagement ring.
Monarch caterpillars, or larvae, eat the leaves of plants from the milkweed family, or Asclepias, because these plants produce a milky sap that is toxic to many other animals, like birds. So when Mr. Robin is looking for a tasty treat, he leaves the monarch caterpillars alone. The yellow and black stripes help to warn other animals to "Take Caution: I'm Yucky!"
While the main host plant for monarch caterpillars is the milkweed, adult monarch butterflies prefer to suck on the sweet nectar found in the flowers of the milkweed, or other flowers too. This is a photo of Echinacea, or cone-flower, another butterfly favorite. Large butterflies, like monarchs, like flowers with big "landing pads." These include what are called composite flowers, or the ones most of us think of as daisy-type flowers with a central head and radiating petals. 
The orange plant is called Asclepias tuberosa, or butterfly weed. It is a member of the milkweed family. The purple flower is larkspur. Of course, Bri is really into flowers (she inherited that from her Grammie), but she especially likes the types of native flowers that provide habitat for our native fauna. 
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