With the monarch butterfly population is in rapid decline, enthusiasts are either petitioning to move monarchs to the endangered species list or emphasizing the importance of restoring habitat—namely milkweed, where monarchs feed as caterpillars and lay their eggs as adults.
Farmers have been growing herbicide-resistant crops, and environmental groups believe this herbicide is largely killing the milkweed population. As the plant becomes harder to find, some butterflies have nowhere to lay their eggs. Now the company Monsanto is planting milkweed away from farms, hoping to help boost the monarch’s numbers.