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‘Butterflies in Bloom’ forum urges homeowners to plant native milkweed as western monarchs remain scarce
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Summary
At Calabasas’s environmental forum, local experts warned western monarch populations remain low (2025 overwintering counts just over 12,000), urged residents to plant native milkweed and nectar plants, highlighted a Malibu Creek State Park native-garden project funded by a California State Parks Foundation grant and distributed free milkweed packets.
Local conservationists and volunteer stewards urged residents at a Calabasas environmental forum to plant native milkweed and nectar plants to help western monarch butterflies, which panelists said remain at historically low levels.
Ari Silberman of the Monarch Fellowship described the group’s hub model for distributing free native seeds, training volunteer “hubs” and mapping neighborhood pollinator patches. "Monarchs are dependent on two things for survival, milkweed and native plants bearing nectar-producing flowers," Silberman said, and urged homeowners to create even a small 5-by-7-foot patch to support local breeding.
Chris Eamon, founder of the nonprofit Native Monarchs, summarized recent counts and threats: the Western overwintering tally announced for 2025 was just over 12,000 butterflies, one of the lowest on record. He warned that federal protections have been delayed and highlighted risks to coastal overwintering sites from development. "If we don't change what we're doing now, the monarch butterflies are gonna probably be extinct by the year 2080," Eamon said, adding that careful local habitat management — including managed eucalyptus groves near overwintering sites — can help maintain needed canopy.
Panelists described practical steps for residents: planting local native host plants (California native milkweed varieties rather than tropical milkweed), reducing pesticide use, creating small "puddler" water features and signing up to receive free starter plants or hub training. The City’s environmental staff also offered resources at a booth and announced complimentary milkweed packets donated by Sperber Landscape.
Speakers highlighted community projects: the Malibu Creek docents described a visitor-center native garden at Malibu Creek State Park developed from a UCLA design competition and a grant from the California State Parks Foundation, with volunteers collecting in-park seeds and propagating plants in a volunteer nursery. Volunteers expect phases of planting to continue through mid-2025.
Panelists and local organizations on site included the Monarch Fellowship, Native Monarchs, California Native Plant Society (Los Angeles / Santa Monica Mountains chapter), Malibu Creek docents and partner groups such as Monarch Watch and the Grama Fund. Organizers concluded with takeaways, resources and an invitation to join future environmental-commission meetings or volunteer projects.
