Monarch butterflies are endangered in large part because they lay their eggs on the only plants their larvae can eat, milkweeds. Habitat loss due to development of "wasteland" meadows and "weed" eradication efforts in general is the cause. Those of us who live in monarch migration paths are attempting to plant milkweed in our yards in hopes of helping to offset those losses.

But don't forget that the "charismatic" insects aren't the only ones vital to the food chain.