If we were to plant milkweed would we more than likely see monarch?
Pat,
Planting milkweed will certainly increase your odds of seeing Monarchs.
However, we have milkweed at our house and farm and we don't see any some years. I used to think those were just "down" years for Monarchs. Now I check the data and have confirmed that there are some years that have abundant Monarch populations and we still don't see them.
Our land is along one of the main migration routes. IMO the location and strength of the weather fronts during the migration periods does affect their route. I believe that some years they are pushed off their main route by unfavorable winds.
You should be in a good place to host some Monarchs if you enhance their habitat a little. The I-35 highway corridor actually appears to assist their migration. Here is a quote from one the habitat enhancement references:
"The landscape that parallels roadways, like the I-35 corridor, can provide natural habitat to support the annual migration of the monarch butterfly. The Pollinator Partnership, including a number of state, local and federal government agencies, corporations, and organizations collaborating and supporting pollinators and conservation of their habitat developed this poster to celebrate the monarch butterfly.
The I-35 corridor follows Interstate 35 through six states from Minnesota south to Texas, following the central flyway of monarch migration. In 2016, these states signed a memorandum of understanding that informally named I-35 the “Monarch Highway” and agreed to implement coordinated management practices along the corridor that benefit monarchs and other pollinators."Good luck on your potential butterfly project!
