Monarch butterflies are an iconic sight across the United States. This butterfly is a beloved ambassador for insect-kind due to their striking orange-and-black pattern, their annual 3,000-mile flight south to Mexican wintering grounds and their total dependence on the unassuming milkweed plant.

But the number of these beautiful butterflies is declining at a very fast pace due to a number of factors. Nina Veteo, executive director of Monarch Rescue said, “The monarch butterfly population is dangerously low and scientists fear we could lose the species altogether”.

With the coming of the fall season, migration season is also approaching and so a number of programs aimed at educating people and ultimately saving the monarch butterfly.

On September 15, Tuesday, there is going to be held a lesson on how to turn your backyard into a Monarch Waystation at the Canton Public Library. Master Gardener Jean White will discuss about the Monarchs and their plight, and Master Gardener Marcia Tate will be discussing and showing the Waystation present behind the library in the Giving Garden.

Monarch Waystations is an initiative taken by the nonprofit Monarch Watch, and it will provide pesticide-free nourishment and shelter to monarchs throughout their lifecycle. These gardens have milkweed, which is the sole food monarch caterpillars eat, and nectar-bearing plants native to the area, that act as sanctuaries for monarchs from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

Recently, seven Master Gardeners in Haywood County had got their gardens certified as Monarch Waystations. Among them, four were individual home gardens and three were public gardens that were created by master gardeners in collaboration with Hazelwood Elementary School, Canton Public Library and Junaluska Elementary School.