In December 2020, after an extensive status assessment of the monarch butterfly, U.S. Fish and  Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that listing the monarch under the Endangered Species Act is warranted but precluded at this time by higher priority listing actions. With this finding, the monarch butterfly becomes a candidate for listing. Although there are generally no section 7 requirements for candidate species, we encourage all agencies to take advantage of any opportunity they may have to help conserve the species.

Voluntary Best Management

The monarch is found in open habitats state-wide in Alabama and relies heavily on a variety of native milkweed species and nectar producing plants. Recommended but voluntary conservation measures include:

  • Planting (recommended) or seeding of native milkweed and native nectar plants (organically grown Alabama sourced plants are best); with an aim for diversity of species and bloom timing;

  • Brush removal to promote habitat for native milkweed and native nectar-producing plants;

  • Targeted hardwood control when thinning woodlands on timber lands and selecting herbicides that preserve the herbaceous layer of plants when doing soil prep;

  • Prescribed burning (outside the growing season for native milkweeds; in patches or smaller  units is recommended) to promote suitable habitat on a 2-3 year rotation in the Piedmont, 2 year rotation on the coastal plain, and 3-5 year rotation in the mountains;

  • Creating or preserving suitable habitat on idle lands or set-asides (see link below for additional  guidance);

  • Conservation mowing (i.e. mowing only November March) to enhance native floral resource habitat;

  • Targeted herbicide treatments (outside the growing season of native milkweeds) to restore  suitable habitat;

  • Invasive species management.

Native Milkweed and Other Important Plants to the Monarch in Alabama

Common Name

Scientific Name

Habitat

Location

Butterfly Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa

Well-drained soil, full sun, drought tolerant, mesic to dry forests, sandhills, prairies, and  roadsides.

Throughout Alabama

Western Swamp Milkweed

Asclepias incarnata

Tolerates some shade, stream banks, swamps, and wet roadside ditches.

North Alabama

White Milkweed

Asclepias variegata

Dry pine or mixed pine/hardwood forests, and roadsides.

Throughout Alabama

Green Milkweed

Asclepias viridis

Prairies, pastures, and roadsides. Usually basic soils. Requires full sun and a clay soil. Drought tolerant and deer resistant.

Black Belt region of central Alabama, the Tennessee Valley, and other areas underlain by limestone.

Pinewoods Milkweed

Asclepias humistrata

Sandhills, on dunes, in scrub oak woods, and in xeric longleaf pine forests.

Southern half of Alabama

Common Milkweed

Asclepias syriaca

Fields, pastures, and roadsides

Northeast Alabama

Eastern Whorled Milkweed

Asclepias verticillata

Sandhills, prairies, chalk outcrops, cedar glades, and in dry, open woods.  Full or partial sun.

Throughout Alabama

Swamp Forest  Milkweed/Aquatic Milkweed

Asclepias perennis

Swamps, floodplain forests, along creeks and streams, and around beaver ponds. Will even grow in shallow standing water. Can be used in bog gardens, shallow pools, and along streams or ponds.

Southern two-thirds of Alabama

Four Leaf Milkweed

Asclepias quadrifolia

Hardwood forests, forest edges, and roadsides.  Easily grown in dry to medium moisture, well- drained soils in full sun.  Tolerates part shade. Best in sunny locations with sandy loams. Drought tolerant. 

Mostly northeastern Alabama

Carolina Milkweed

Asclepiascinerea

Sandhills, flatwoods, bogs, and pine-scrub oak ridges

Throughout Alabama

Clasping Milkweed

Asclepias amplexicaulis

Dry prairies, savannas, open woods, and fallow fields

Throughout Alabama

Fewflower Milkweed

Asclepias lanceolata

Fresh to brackish marshes; wet pinelands

Southern Alabama

Green Comet Milkweed

Asclepias viridiflora

Openings in upland forests that are rocky or sandy, upland prairies, sand prairies, limestone glades; high quality habitats

Central Alabama

Largeflower Milkweed

Asclepias connivens

Savannas, bogs, and flatwoods

Throughout Alabama

Longleaf Milkweed

Asclepias longifolia

Swamps, savannas, flatwoods, and low pinelands

Southern Alabama

Michaux’s Milkweed

Asclepias michauxii

Dry, sandy pine woods

Southern Alabama

Poke Milkweed

Asclepias exaltata

Edges of forests, shores, woodlands

Northern Alabama

Pineland Milkweed

Asclepias obovata

Sandy soils in pine and oak woods; occasionally in field and on roadsides

Southern Alabama

Red Milkweed

Asclepias rubra

Bogs and marshy area in meadows and pine barrens; useful for wetland gardens or landscapes with permanently moist soils

Southern Alabama

Tall Green Milkweed

Asclepias hirtella

Prairies, old fields, barrens, and glades

East-central Alabama

Tuba Milkweed

Asclepias tomentosa

Naturally open sandy savannas

Southern Alabama

Rolfs’ Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa L. ssp. rolfsii

A subspecies of Butterfly Milkweed

Throughout Alabama

Gulf Coast Swallow Wort

Pattalias palustre

Produces monarch- attracting foliage early; dunes, salt marshes, and coastal hammocks

Southern Alabama

Bluevine

Ampelamus albidus or Cynanchum laeve

Streambanks, floodplains, and roadsides; prefers full or partial sun and a clay soil; requires a trellis or other support to climb on.

Throughout Alabama

Sources:https://alabama.butterflyatlas.usf.edu/species/details/47 https://www.growmilkweedplants.com/alabama.html  https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASQU  https://plants.usda.gov/home/  http://floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=472

Additional Resources

Documents

Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly

Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly on Energy and Transportation Lands. Published on March 2020.

Monarch Butterfly Species Status Assessment (SSA) Report

The monarch, Danaus plexippus, is a species of butterfly globally distributed throughout 90 countries, islands, and island groups. These butterflies are well known for their phenomenal long-distance migration in the North American populations. Descendants of these migratory monarch populations...

Species

Facilities

Library Collections

Baby flattened musk turtle being held. Its the size of the persons thumb.
This library is a collection of conservation measures and best management practices (BMP's) for species and activities throughout Alabama.