Butterfly fans, take a breath. I know it's officially spring and we're all pounding on nursery doors, anxious to plant some California native milkweed to help the endangered Western monarch ...

Monarch butterfly populations are endangered, to the point that the 1.2 million Western monarchs counted in 1997 plummeted to fewer than 2,000 by 2020.

Butterfly fans, take a breath. I know it’s officially spring and we’re all pounding on nursery doors, anxious to plant some California native milkweed to help the endangered Western monarch ...

The caterpillar form requires milkweed leaves, the primary limiting factor on monarch presence. René Eisenbart/The Oregonian A caterpillar grows up to 2 3/4 inches long.