Characteristics of urban milkweed gardens that influence monarch butterfly egg abundance

Urban Farm DB summary

Working with community scientists in the Chicago metropolitan area, researchers monitored monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) eggs and caterpillars on milkweed patches in yards and community gardens. Peak egg counts per patch ranged from zero to 170 across observation years; patch age and the presence of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) affected whether eggs were present, and patches with the highest egg counts tended to have A. syriaca, more milkweed plants, and greater diversity of blooming nectar plants.