Conservation & Education
Everything you need to grow milkweed, plant for pollinators, connect with monarch organizations, find native plants near you, and keep learning — curated by the NH Monarch Festival team.
Get Growing
Everything you need to start growing milkweed and native wildflowers, whether you have a window box or an acre of lawn.
A comprehensive guide from Monarch Joint Venture covering seed stratification, outdoor planting, indoor starting, and transplanting milkweed for monarch habitat.
This is for starting seeds indoors. The easy way to plant milkweed seed is to plant it outside in your garden just before the ground freezes, around late October. From Monarch Watch.
This is local information from research at UNH with plant lists for NH gardens. Once you get to this page there are several more links on related subjects. Good stuff!
Instructions on how to create a Monarch Waystation. Make sure to register it too!
Many schools are creating butterfly gardens. Here is a great resource to get started! From the National Wildlife Federation’s Schoolyard Habitats® program.
Shop Local
Support local nurseries that specialize in New Hampshire native plants for pollinators and wildlife gardens.
A certified organic native perennial farm offering pollinator-safe plants grown from seed — true natives, no cultivars. Mail order available. Located at 648 Pumpkin Hill Road.
bagleypondperennials.com →Nestled at the base of Mount Monadnock, offering an extensive inventory of Northeast native plants with 10 acres of trails and gardens to explore. Garden design services available.
fassettfarmnursery.com →Get Connected
The organizations working hardest to protect monarch butterflies and pollinators — locally, nationally, and internationally.
A nonprofit education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas, dedicated to the monarch butterfly and its spectacular migration.
monarchwatch.org → Citizen ScienceJoin the official tagging program and help scientists track monarch migration routes across North America. Tag kits available each summer.
monarchwatch.org/tagging → National PartnershipA partnership of federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and universities working to protect the monarch migration across the United States.
monarchjointventure.org → For Young LearnersDownloadable resources, activities, and learning materials about monarch butterflies designed specifically for children and classrooms.
MJV Resources for Kids → Migration TrackingTrack monarch migration in real time with citizen science sighting reports from across North America. Report your own monarch sightings!
journeynorth.org → Pollinator AdvocacyThe world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to pollinator health, offering free planting guides by ecoregion and science-based conservation resources.
pollinator.org → Habitat CorridorsA collaborative network of pesticide-free, native plant corridors providing essential habitat for bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators across communities.
pollinator-pathway.org → Invertebrate ConservationA nonprofit protecting wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat, with extensive resources on pollinators, milkweed, and native plants.
xerces.org → New EnglandDedicated to conserving and promoting native plants of New England through education, research, conservation, and a network of gardens and nurseries.
nativeplanttrust.org → New HampshireA grassroots NH nonprofit restoring native pollinator habitat one yard at a time through community partnerships, education, and engagement across the state.
pollinatorpathwaysnh.org → Social MediaFollow Pollinator Pathways NH on Facebook for local events, planting tips, and community updates on pollinator habitat work across New Hampshire.
facebook.com/pollinatorpathwaysnh → New HampshireDedicated to the conservation of wildlife and habitat throughout New Hampshire, with programs focused on birds, pollinators, and native plant gardens.
nhaudubon.org → Native Plant MovementDoug Tallamy’s initiative to create a network of native plant habitat in home gardens across the country, stitching together a vast “national park” for wildlife.
homegrownnationalpark.org →Keep Learning
Deepen your knowledge and give back to your community through these excellent volunteer training programs from UNH Cooperative Extension.
A 12-week volunteer training program for those passionate about gardening and community education. Master Gardeners share their expertise through public projects, presentations, and the UNH Extension InfoLine.
Learn more at extension.unh.edu →A 12-week hybrid course exploring NH’s ecosystems — forests, wetlands, soil, water, and wildlife. Stewards go on to lead conservation projects in their communities across the state.
Learn more at extension.unh.edu →Recommended Reading
A curated collection of books on monarchs, butterflies, native plants, and gardening for wildlife — something for every age and interest.
Doug Tallamy Books
Monarchs & Butterflies
Gardening & Landscaping
Books for Kids