Monarch Waystation Certification

In a previous post, I wrote about obtaining Wildlife Habitat certifications from the National Wildlife Federation and Texas Parks and Wildlife. I recently submitted my prairie for certification as a Monarch Waystation.

As a Monarch Waystation, my prairie provides food and shelter for monarch butterflies as they make their annual migration through Texas and North America. I have several varieties of blooming flowers that provide nectar for the butterflies as they pass through. I also have increasing numbers of milkweed plants that will provide food for monarch caterpillars if the butterflies ever decide to lay eggs on my plants.

The migration of monarch butterflies is truly amazing. Unfortunately, land development and the use of herbicides are reducing the availability of food for adult butterflies and their caterpillars. Additionally, the monarchs are losing their overwintering grounds in Mexico to deforestation. 

CBS News did an interesting piece on the plight of monarch butterflies. There is some amazing footage in this video.

Now I have to figure out where and how to post my signs. I want to put them near the sidewalk so passersby can see them and have a better understanding of what I am doing with my yard, aka my prairie. I bought an 8 foot cedar post to attach the signs to, but I am rethinking that idea because I do not want the sign post to be a distraction in my prairie. Any ideas?

Top photo - Monarchs on Gregg's Mistflower, Eupatorium greggi in 2008.
Middle photo - Flowers of Green Milkweed, Asclepias Viridis.