Monarch Sanctuary Project

What did we do when the forecast insisted on heavy storms during our Garden Giveaway pickup extravaganza? We took our cue from the monarchs and pivoted locations to make it work!

We happily loaded up vehicles full of plants, answered questions, and we were even able to pot up a couple hundred milkweeds (we're experimenting with a few new species for next year).

Most all kits have been picked up and are either already planted, or are going in the ground this weekend with plenty of time to support the monarch migration this fall.

That makes 66 kits given away to date! It's not nearly enough, but if we all keep at it, we can make a difference!

We are Stronger Together. Raise the Migration!

Again, a huge thank you to and for their generous support. And to our amazing volunteers - this work can't happen without you! ❤️

Our fall Street Team needs help!

Instead of applying to be an event host for Austin’s official Roots & Wings Festival this fall season, we were asked to be an official resource for all of the other incredible organizations who are applying to be event hosts for the entire two-week moving festival! What an honor!

That said, our fall season is now completely jam-packed with outreach opportunities, and we could seriously use some help at our tables for a few of the individual event dates. It takes a lot of energy to plan, prep, pack, set up, entertain, educate and tear down on repeat for a tiny (but mighty) team!

We’re looking for a few fabulous folks who know a little bit about the work we do, are passionate about supporting the monarch migration, and want to have a great time connecting humans to nature during our busy, fall outreach season.

What would you be doing? That’s up to you! As much or as little as you like. Your options include:

- handing out brochures, pocket guides and stickers
- applying temporary monarch butterfly and lifecycle tattoos
- chatting about monarch conservation
- helping to load/unload, if needed

We’re also in need of more operational support, so if you’re interested in leaning into MSP in a more official capacity, let’s talk.

Compensation: the amazing feeling of knowing you’re making a difference for the monarch migration, for the planet, and for the betterment of humanity. Priceless.

ROOTS & WINGS FESTIVAL EVENTS

10/22 Thursday 4:00-6:00pm
Roots & Wings (PRIVATE EVENT)
North Austin near Decker Lake
Tables: Education + Temp tats
Volunteers: (need 1 more)

10/24 Saturday 10:00am-12noon
Roots & Wings (PRIVATE EVENT)
North Shoal Creek (North Austin)
Table: Education + Temp tats
Volunteers: (need 2 more)

10/24 Saturday 3:00pm-6:00pm
Roots & Wings (PUBLIC EVENT)
Little Walnut Creek (North Austin)
Table: Education + Tats + Milkweed germination demonstration
Volunteers: (need 1 more)

If interested, just sign up! SignUp link is in our bio and on our website under VOLUNTEER > "Current Events"

As a thank you, we'll even order you one of our new shirts! After all, we're Stronger Together, y'all.

We Can Grow It!

A Native Milkweed Germination Pop-Up Workshop

📅 9/26/26 This coming Saturday
🕐 10:00-11:15am
🗺 Hill Country Water Gardens in Cedar Park

Game Plan: Demystify Texas-native milkweeds, cover multiple germination techniques, and go home with your own cold-stratification mix baggie, complete with a packet of native milkweed seeds and a plan of action.

💰 $10 (Sign up on website - link us in our bio)

hillcountrywatergardens.com/product/native-milkweed-germination-workshop/

Have you been wanting to try germinating native milkweeds? Have you tried and you’re skittish about trying again? Stop waiting, try again! Let me break it down, cover some options, and help take some of the guesswork out of it. Come spend the morning with us at the oh-so-dreamy .

Timewarp: 7 years ago, when I couldn’t find a single native milkweed in any of our local nurseries within a 50 mile radius, I was determined to grow my own (with no experience). I grew a very sad 35 seedlings the 1st year. Wrong seeds, wrong environment, wrong everything. Year 2, I changed some things: 300. Year 3, 600. Year 4, 2100. We’ve capped out at 4000 due to lack of space and resources. We sold them at farmer’s markets, pop-up sales, we put them in our habitats and now we grow them for our Garden Giveaway program. This year, thanks to support from -E-B, we grew and gave away 1K milkweeds in the spring! To date, we’ve grown over 20k TX native milkweeds.

Let’s raise the monarch migration in Central Texas, y’all! Hope to see you there!

Cartoon Sonia 🎨 design by the amazing Jessi Jordan

Can I tell you about our newest T-shirt design?! It’s a whole story, so….

Ok, is everyone reading this an Ologies podcast ju**ie? If you’re not, please follow and learn everything about everything. I stumbled across an artist on an Ologies post last year and immediately sent her a very typical Sonia-style message, introducing myself, fawning over her work, and potentially manifesting a unique collaboration. Enter Hania with ! In Oregon! I found her at a scary time where there was a lot of fear in the world, people were staying inside their homes for many reasons, so distance didn’t really seem relevant to our conversation.

I said, “I love your work because it feels ageless. Playful enough to look youthful, and bold and mature enough to send a deeper message.” That’s a vibe that speaks to me!

I told her all about our organization, our mission, what makes us different, etc. We narrowed the intention down to this concept and collection of words:

"Stronger Together
A kaleidoscope of monarchs flying through Texas
Migration conservation, and staying strong together
As humans, as communities, and as land stewards of Texas"

And she got to work doing what she does! We went back and forth with a few visual changes and stylistic modifications, and we ADORE what she created.

I created a Bonfire merch account for us and selected Monarch-wing Orange, Chrysalis Green and Caterpillar-stripe Yellow T-shirt color options. Sigh. Stop it, right? We won’t! We’re over-the-moon with this collaboration.

We’ll be adding the rest of our INCREDIBLE shirt designs to our page soon, but this one is up and available for fall, y’all! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Thank you, Hania Wombat Wisdoms | 🌻 Hania (she/her) and Alie Ward, Ologies (and obviously the rest of my creative team for your forever input)!

https://www.bonfire.com/store/monarch-sanctuary-project/

Someone just asked me, "What is a Bonfire?" Bonfire is the website we have chosen to sell our T-shirts through, so you can get them mailed right to your door! We chose them because they take good care of non-profit organizations, and don't pocket the dough. They just provide the service and the apparel. We set the price to make a small profit per product - which goes directly back to doing the work you see us do.

PS- OMGAWD. I forgot to tell you the back has our website on it. Lol. No time to reshoot, y'all.

Hear ye, hear ye! There are still TEN days to get your application in for a FREE native monarch garden kit with enough plants to cover 100 sq ft (plus a little extra).

Y’ALL! The kit selection is LOVELY this year. In case you were on the fence about applying, THESE are the darling plants you will be receiving. All plants are in gallon-sized pots, unless noted.

Ground covers and grasses (in 4-in pots):
Frog fruit x 2
Blue grama x 2
Little bluestem x 1

Spring bloomers:
Cutleaf daisy x 1
Purple coneflower x 1
Mealy blue sage x 1 (in a two-gallon pot)

Summer bloomers:
Salvia greggii (red) x 1
Texas lantana x 1

Fall bloomers:
Gregg’s blue mistflower x 2
Shrubby boneset x 1
Orange zexmenia x1

Milkweeds:
A variety of 12 x 1 year-old native milkweeds grown by your pals at MSP. Usually Zizotes, Antelope Horns, Green, Butterflyweed, and whatever else we have available.

AND a metal Monarch Sanctuary Project habitat sign to go with your new garden!

Reminder: We’re giving away SIXTEEN kits this fall. Noteworthy: 10 of the kits will receive vouchers for milkweeds as soon as they’re ready for gardens (which will be soon).

Who can apply? EVERYONE! We love, love, love seeing educational programs apply, families, dedicated community land stewards, small businesses…. We need habitats everywhere!

10 days. To dream about how you’re going to arrange the plants. 10 days to talk to your school system or neighborhood garden club. 10 days to tell us why having a native pollinator garden would change your life, or your community. 10 days to decide you want to make a difference in supporting the monarch migration. 10 days to save your corner of the world. For free. Lol.

As always, a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to H-E-B and for sponsoring such an impactful conservation effort. We can’t do this work without your support!

9/20 Applications close
9/22 Recipients announced (Fall equinox!)
10/3 Garden pickup date and public celebration H-E-B Lakeline 9-1pm

Application link in bio or on our website monarchsanctuaryproject.org. GO!

Hey, y'all! What are you doing tomorrow morning (Wed, Sept 9th) at 8:30am? Come out to Lake Pflugerville Park to help us get our main entrance habitat beds ready for the arrival of the monarchs this fall! They're already on the move!

Feel free to bring water, tools and gloves - but we always have extra. We'll be doing some weeding, seed-harvesting and obviously obsessing over the constant action and DRAMA of our habitats. Ha!

We have 4 folks signed up, but we could really use 4-6 more. You know what they say, "Many hands makes fast work!"

Thanks, y'all! If it's not your jam, send this to someone who might like to help!

Good Water Master Naturalists Capital Area Master Naturalists Pflugerville Parks and Recreation

Lake Pflugerville Habitat Workday Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. Thank you!

Stop.

Like our heartbeat when we see a Zizotes milkweed blooming like this.

Stop.

When we stroll by again 4 weeks later to see the PODS on this queen.

Stop.

We will. On the day of harvest. With permission from Pflugerville Parks and Recreation

#78660