Butterfly Effect

Can our love of butterflies make Phoenix more climate-resilient?
Experts say native plants and pollinator habitats could be key.

In the outdoor space between the Phoenix Police Department headquarters and its crime lab, a stretch of once-empty planters now blooms with milkweed and nectar plants – part of a growing effort to create urban habitats for monarch butterflies.

“You wouldn’t think the police department would have anything to do with butterflies,” says Kim Pegram, program director at Desert Botanical Garden (DBG), with a laugh. “But they had a lot of space there, and they turned it into a monarch waystation.”

The unlikely garden is one of dozens of projects tied to Phoenix’s participation in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, a national initiative aimed at reversing the decline of the iconic insect – perhaps the most beloved and recognized pollinator outside the honey bee. The program aims to expand the monarch’s habitats – including milkweed, the only plant monarchs lay their eggs on.

Since signing on in 2021, the city has added roughly 7 acres of pollinator habitats across public land, while encouraging residents to plant their own. Scottsdale – already home to Butterfly Wonderland, the largest butterfly conservancy in the country – joined the pledge in 2025, with free-access butterfly gardens now taking root in public spaces like Pima and Rotary parks.

“It’s really when we’re all working together – residents and the city – that you see a difference,” says Tricia Balluff, the environmental programs manager for the City of Phoenix.

The timing is critical. Monarch populations have declined in recent decades due to habitat loss, climate pressures and land development. At the same time, researchers say Arizona is playing a more important role than once thought.

“We’re learning how important Arizona is to the migration – and we’re right on the route,” says Gail Morris of the Southwest Monarch Study.

In fact, the Valley may serve as a kind of crossroads – linking western monarchs headed to coastal California with others traveling to Mexico, and even supporting a small overwintering population of its own.

The public interest in saving everyone’s favorite winged insect may be having a literal “butterfly effect,” where a small action can ripple outward into something much bigger. “Monarchs are a gateway to conservation in general,” Pegram says. “People might not care about a lot of different conservation efforts, but people care about monarchs.”

Balluff agrees. “The monarch is really a stepping stone,” she says. “When we use it to encourage native plantings, it helps with water conservation, urban heat and other pollinators. There are so many co-benefits.”

That appeal is helping drive a shift toward native plants across the Valley – on city property, in housing developments and in backyards (see sidebar). Along the way, those efforts support not just butterflies, but birds, bees and a more climate-resilient desert city. 

“Monarchs, with their big orange wings, absorb the heat, so they’ll go to the shade just like you and me,” Morris says. “Planting tall trees or shrubs not only helps them, but it’ll lower the temperature around the city.” Not to mention our own stress levels. “When the world gets too heavy on our shoulders, you go outside and enjoy the butterflies.”

— Jimmy Magahern

Building a Butterfly Network

From civic projects to backyard gardens, monarch habitats are taking root across the Valley.

Downtown Model 

Pollinator gardens at sites like the Phoenix Convention Center show how habitats can thrive in urban spaces.

Community Design

One North Phoenix retirement community built milkweed into every tenant’s yard, alongside a shared
butterfly garden.

Seeds in Circulation

Phoenix libraries now offer native wildflower seeds, while the city distributes free monarch seed packets to residents. “Even milkweed in a pot on your patio can help make a difference,” Balluff says. 

Plants in the Pipeline

DBG grows and distributes thousands of milkweed plants each year, helping expand habitats across the Valley. “The focus of a lot of conservation actions is planting milkweed and other nectar plants,” Pegram says. 

—Jimmy Magahern

HomeStat: 26K

Estimated number of homes on the market in Greater Phoenix in April 2026, according to Phoenix REALTORS, a local real estate agent association. The figure represents an historical surplus of sellers to buyers, according to some experts, and may represent a cooling market. By comparison, the Valley had roughly 2,000 homes for sale during the pandemic at its most seller-friendly point.    

—Craig Outhier