It’s monarch butterfly season once more. Here’s how to attract and spot them in Kansas

Lindsay Smith
·3 min read

Monarch butterflies have returned to Kansas for the warm months.

The fan-favorite butterflies, Danaus plexippus, are known for their orange and black wings and are primarily found in North America. They usually get to Kansas in the springtime on their annual migration and stay through September, according to Pam Martin with Kansas Wetlands Education Center.

Martin said many Kansas monarchs have traveled from the mountainous region in Mexico, where they spend November to March before they return north. If you see a monarch with colors duller than the usual bright orange, Martin said that may be because many butterflies might have migrated more than 3,000 miles.

To view Monarch sightings in Kansas and be aware of their whereabouts, Martin recommends using JourneyNorth.org. You can see Journey North’s monarch butterfly sighting map below.

How you can help monarch butterfly populations in Kansas

In 2020, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced the monarch’s listing as endangered was “warranted but precluded,” meaning the species is threatened, but there are other priorities. Martin said there are many reasons for this threatened status.

The first is a lack of habitat for the butterflies. To help, Martin recommends planting native flowers and plants adult monarchs can drink nectar from.

Some flowers monarchs are attracted to include:

  • Sunflowers

  • Goldenrod

  • Zinnia

  • Aster

  • Coneflower

For more information on the best native plants for your yard or garden, Martin recommends calling the Sedgwick County Extension office with questions.

The best kind of plant to have in your garden to attract and nourish monarchs is milkweed, which the butterflies are known to lay their eggs on. Types of milkweed you can plant include common milkweed, showy milkweed, butterfly milkweed and swamp milkweed.

Another important thing to do is check labels when using any spray to make sure it won’t be harmful. The most common one to harm monarch and bumblebee populations is neonicotinoids, which is a group of insecticides commonly used on landscapes and farms.

Where to see monarch butterflies near Wichita

While monarchs can be seen almost everywhere in Kansas and the Wichita area, for an up-close experience you can visit the Botanica Butterfly Garden.

Botanica, at 701 Amidon, is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., until 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. After October, the gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for children, seniors and military. Children younger than two can get in for free.

The Great Plains Nature Center also has monarch butterflies, Martin said, among other wildlife and plants. The center, at 6232 E. 29th St. North, is free to all and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is also hosting a Butterfly Festival in Great Bend Sept. 23.

Other butterflies you can see in Kansas

The monarch is not the only butterfly you can see in the Wichita area. In fact, Kansas is home to 190 species, according to the Great Plains Nature Center.

Some other popular species include:

  • Black swallowtail

  • American painted lady

  • Skippers

  • Little blues

  • Fritillary