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For the third year the Native Plant Society of Texas will award grants to support Monarch butterfly demonstration gardens through its Bring Back the Monarchs to Texas program.
Grants of between $50 to $400 will be awarded to qualifying applicants to build Monarch Waystations or demonstration gardens containing native Texas milkweed and nectar plants. The application deadline is March 15 and grants will be announced by April 1. More details and application form here.
Last year Bring Back the Monarch to Texas grants helped create 39 demonstration or Monarch Waystation gardens across the state. The program was created to educate about Monarch conservation, to produce and distribute milkweeds that support reproduction by Monarch butterflies, and to restore Monarch habitats throughout the Texas migration flyway.
Although the Monarch is not currently listed as endangered, its population numbers have dramatically declined in recent years.
Lincoln Brower, a professor of biology at Sweet Briar College who has studied Monarch migrations for decades, has cited three reasons for their population decline — deforestation in Mexico, recent bouts of severe weather, and the growth of herbicide-based agriculture destroying crucial milkweed flora in the Midwest.
Contact Cathy Downs for more information. If you would like to help support the program with a donation contact Pam Middleton or donate online.
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**ARCHIVED POST AUTHOR: cathydowns
