Yuba County first graders plant milkweed to help monarch butterflies return

CBS News

24-05-2025

OREGON HOUSE – First graders in the Yuba County community of Oregon House are planting hope for monarch butterflies, one milkweed at a time.
These first-grade students at Yes Charter Academy have created a certified monarch waystation, and now they're installing their official sign.
The Yuba Environmental Science Charter Academy is all about hands-on projects. Their latest effort includes helping protect the monarch butterfly.
"Each grade has a theme and the first grade is endangered pollinators," said Constance Murtaugh, a first-grade teacher at Yes. "The focus is the monarch butterfly. First, we studied the butterfly, its lifecycle. We grow pollinator plants."
After seeing success in a garden bed on campus with milkweed plants, the students expanded their work by planting 500 more plants on a five-acre plot nearby with help from the community.
"The monarch butterfly is dependent on every part of their life on the milkweed plant; without milkweed, there's no monarch," Murtaugh said.
"They lay their eggs under the leaves and when they hatch and the worms come out, they feed on the leaf," said Juan Jose Domingo, the school's farmer.
Domingo said the plants will continue to grow, making it an attractive place for migrating monarchs to lay eggs. The kids will get to see the fruits of their labor from start to finish.
"They like the idea of helping the planet and they like the idea of saving something. They're empowered to do something to help," Murtaugh said.
"Then, when they found out that a news team was coming out to see their work, they were super excited," said Principal Louise Miller. "This shows them that their work matters."
Now the school is recognized as a certified monarch waystation by monarchwatch.org.
During planting day, teachers said they were impressed by how hard the students worked, even in the rain.
"They fall in love with nature and that makes them want to protect and be stewards of nature, so we want to get students outdoors as much as possible," Miller said.
"It's a fantastic process and we are trying to help the environment. We all do a little bit, we'll make it happen and help them grow," Domingo said.
Roughly 90% of monarch habitats are in agricultural landscapes, and farming can really impact their numbers. Planting the native milkweed plant in a place like Yuba County can help make a difference.
"If we plant what they need, if we support their habitat, if we enlarge their habitat, we believe the monarchs will come back," Miller said.
The students hope to see thriving monarch butterflies come next spring
This was in partnership with California Conservation Corps, the Yuba County Resource Conservation District, and the Yuba Watershed Protection and Fire Safe Council.