Patricia Keeler asked Christine Van Zandt:

What was you inspiration for writing Milkweed for Monarchs?

Christine Van Zandt During the pandemic, we bought our first milkweed plant, figuring it somehow supported butterflies. We soon found out that our plant had monarch eggs on it and we had a whole bunch of cute little striped caterpillars happily munching on the milkweed leaves. Soon, however, all were eaten by predators.

I began researching and was shocked to learn that the western monarch was near-extinct because there weren't enough milkweed plants (the only plant its caterpillars can eat) and, the ones that were around were often sprayed with bug-killer that stopped the butterfly's life cycle. From there, I fell in deep trying to help keep this insect from being wiped out by spreading the word about how the small decisions we make can result in a huge difference for this beloved pollinator, and for so many other animals in our world.

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