Crabtree Farms is a nonprofit urban farm and community education center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, dedicated to sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and community engagement.
Magical Monarchs at Crabtree Farms is a long-term habitat restoration and education project focused on supporting monarch butterflies and other native pollinators.
The goal of this project is to establish a Monarch Waystation using native milkweed and nectar plants that provide essential resources for monarch butterflies throughout their life cycle. Monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed, which makes milkweed the most important plant for their survival. Adult monarchs rely on a variety of nectar plants for energy as they move across the landscape during migration.
The eastern monarch population overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico. In spring, monarchs move north through Texas and spread across the eastern United States and southern Canada. Tennessee, including the Chattanooga area, is part of the monarchs’ breeding and migration range.
As monarchs move through the region, they search for milkweed where females can lay their eggs and for nectar plants that provide energy during migration. Gardens that include native milkweed and nectar plants can provide important habitat where monarchs can feed, reproduce, and continue their journey.
The Monarch Waystation at Crabtree Farms will provide habitat where monarchs can stop to feed and where females may lay eggs on milkweed plants. In addition to monarch butterflies, the garden will also support many other pollinators including native bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects. This bench has been constructed for the project.
The raised bed for the project was constructed in December 2025. The soil was covered with cardboard and secured with pallets to suppress weeds and prepare the area for spring planting. Plants grown by Crabtree Farms will be installed once they are ready in late spring.
As the garden develops over time, it will serve as a demonstration of how even small spaces can provide meaningful habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
This project is also designed as a learning space for the community. Volunteers will help prepare the garden beds, install native plants, maintain the habitat, and learn about pollinator conservation along the way. Workdays will take place once a month during the growing season.