Elysian Park welcomes its first monarch butterfly habitat with over 200 milkweed plants

Dozens of volunteers spent Sunday creating Elysian Park’s first monarch butterfly habitat, planting some 200 milkweed plants.

Western monarch populations in California have been dwindling for decades in part because there are fewer milkweed plants. And monarchs will only lay their eggs on milkweed, since that’s what their caterpillars like to eat.

Laura Velkei, founder of Project Monarch L.A., said volunteers planted the habitat in the Victory Memorial Grove area of Elysian Park in order to support the black and orange butterflies.

“The more people that are putting their hands in the ground ... getting a crush on a caterpillar or a butterfly, all those things connect us more deeply to nature than any other conversation could possibly do,” Velkei said. “How do you not love a monarch