The Butterfly Garden or Monarch Waystation #19109 was developed after Keep Dickinson Beautiful members learned about the dwindling population of monarchs in the United States. The use of herbicides and the loss of habitat, especially milkweed, is blamed for the lower numbers. Keep Dickinson Beautiful planted a garden for butterflies at the Dickinson Historic Railroad Center located at 218 FM 517 West in Dickinson to help the monarch population.

The garden was registered with the Monarch Watch Organization which asks that each site have milkweeds, nectar sources (flowers), shelter, and water for the butterflies. The garden is open to the public for free during regular Depot hours. Follow the progress of the caterpillars and the butterflies on the Keep Dickinson Beautiful’s Facebook page. So far, we have seen an increase in caterpillars, monarch butterflies, and black swallowtails; keep your fingers crossed for even more sightings. -Mary Dunbaugh