If you’ve never heard of National Start Seeing Monarchs Day, you might think it’s a holiday that encourages people to look for sovereign heads of state, but that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

This holiday actually aims to raise public awareness about the preservation of the Monarch Butterfly—a butterfly that’s constantly in danger of being added to the endangered species list. The holiday is observed every year on the first Saturday in May and encourages everyone to learn about this butterfly and perhaps even take part in its preservation.

The History of National Start Seeing Monarchs Day

We’re unsure who created this holiday, but we do know that it was invented sometime in 2015. We’ll continue to research the origins of this holiday and will update this section if we come across something new.

Observing National Start Seeing Monarchs Day

We think the best way to celebrate this holiday isn’t just by learning more about them or watching Monarch Butterfly videos on the internet but by taking action to turn your yard into a butterfly sanctuary. You can do that by planting milkweed and other flowers in your garden. What are some flowers that Monarch Butterflies are attracted to? Let’s take a quick look at the following list to find out:

• Mexican Sunflowers
• Milkweed
• Brazilian Verbena
• Miss Molly Bush
• Zinnia Flowers

You can also take the time to avoid using pesticides and herbicides that could potentially harm butterfly populations. Encourage friends and family members to do the same on this holiday so that these butterflies have more places to find food and shelter.

To spread the word even further, use the hashtag #StartSeeingMonarchsDay on social media. That will encourage more people to get involved in the process of restoring the habitat for these majestic butterflies.