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36 | OHCC LIVING | OCTOBER 2026 | Fueling the Journey: Our Fall Gardens Matter October brings a change to our gardens. The days grow shorter, summer f lowers begin to fade, and we start seeing fewer monarch butterf lies. But for the monarchs still passing through our community, this is an especially important time of year. They are looking for food. We often talk about milkweed because it is essential for monarch reproduction. But in the fall, nectar-producing f lowers become just as important. Monarchs need nectar to build the energy reserves that will help carry them through migration and overwintering. Our Western monarchs may travel toward overwintering areas along the California coast, stopping along the way to feed. A garden filled with late-blooming f lowers can become an important resting and refueling place on that journey. That is one reason the work we do in our Save the Monarch Butterf ly Club sanctuary matters so much. Every f lower we plant, water, deadhead, and care for helps create a welcoming habitat not only for monarchs, but for many other butterf lies, bees, and pollinators as well. And we can help in our own gardens too. Keep nectar f lowers blooming as long as possible. Avoid pesticides. Allow a few areas of the garden to remain a little less tidy. Most importantly, remember that a butterf ly garden does not stop being valuable when summer ends. So, if you happen to see a monarch visiting one of your f lowers this October, stop for a moment and enjoy it. That beautiful butterf ly may be taking a much-needed rest and gathering energy for the journey ahead. (Get the APP - iNaturalist and report Monarchs you see in your area) It is a wonderful reminder that even one garden — and even one f lower — can be part of something much bigger. Keep our gardens blooming and help keep the monarch journey going. Written by Rona Cole Save the monarch butterfly