For generations, millions of Monarch butterflies have overwintered at Pismo Beach. But over the last decade, numbers have been dwindling badly. Last year only 2000 returned. So it came as a wonderful holiday surprise when biologists have counted over 100,000 so far this year.

https://www.npr.org/2021/11/26/1059263867/the-butterflies-are-back-annual-migration-of-monarchs-shows-highest-numbers-in-y

This represents a potential turning point. We may be able to bring them back from the brink of extinction. Here’s what you can do if you live in one of their traditional routes:

• Plant milkweed native to your area. If you’re lucky enough to get the plants covered by butterfly eggs, expect them to look ratty once the caterpillars chow down. So choose a spot in the garden where that won’t matter. Even a pot on an apartment balcony could help. Find varieties of milkweed that will grow in your area at the Xerces Society Plant Finder.
• Fill your garden with other things they…