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Monarch Habitat Ranks identifies high value areas for creating, preserving, or enhancing monarch habitat on WSDOT owned lands along the state highway system. It is based on habitat suitability index models from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for monarch and two milkweed species that occur in Washington. Monarch butterfly populations are in a steep decline nationwide and the species is being considered for Endangered Species Act listing. While monarchs will utilize a wide variety of flowering plants as nectar sources, it is dependent on milkweed as the sole source of food for its larval stages. This specialization and its limited abundance and distribution in Washington State, resulted in the need to develop a separate habitat rank for the species. |