As per experts, Monarch butterflies have started their annual fall migration from Canada to Mexico, but these large flocks of migrating butterflies are only a small fraction of the size it was a decade or ago. This is because of the eradication of milkweed from most of the Canada and the US. Now several local wildlife organizations are taking initiative to plant milkweeds.

Under a joint project of the David Suzuki Foundation and the University of Guelph, experts will also spread public awareness on the life cycle of the butterfly.

There are also some local nurseries and online seed companies that sell milkweed plants and seeds as part of the initiative. One can call the nurseries for details on the varieties they offer. They can also see advices on best places to plant milkweeds.

These nurseries can also teach how to tend and enjoy the only plant on which monarch butterflies will lay their eggs.

Members of a local nature group in Ohio launched a yearly monarch butterfly festival to help raise the public's awareness on the butterfly, which has faced a sharp decline in population in the past five years.

Betsy Yankowiak, director of preserves and programs of the Little River Wetlands Project, said in a statement that the butterflies will grace the preserves with their presence.

These fragile creatures were welcomed by more than 1,200 visitors at the fifth annual Monarch Festival located at the Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve, said Yankowiak.

According to Rebecca Riley, an attorney with the National Resource Defense Council, the population of monarchs that fly to Mexico to wait out the winters has dropped over 90% in the last two decades.