Officials have been urging residents of Illinois to make efforts to better the plight of Monarch butterfly by planting milkweed in their backyards or gardens. The Monarch butterflies have sought a tremendous decline in their population because of many factors, like increased use of fertilizers and loss of habitat attributable to urbanization.

A spokesman of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Chris Young, said the decline in population started since the mid-1990s. "A key part of their habit is their host plant for caterpillars, which are plants with the milkweed family", Young said, via CBS Chicago.

It was showed by a recent study that the beautiful creature has brilliant, vibrant colors. However, missing a meal leads the butterflies to lose brightness. Insignificant nutrients, on the other hand, make their wings smaller and weaken them. The study feared over longer time that the butterflies may take to make their 3,000-mile migration because of smaller sets of wings.

The findings of the study have been published in the April 2 edition of the journal PLOS ONE. Krauser has said that locals can contribute in efforts to bring the population of Monarchs back to the normal, by allowing milkweed to grow in their yard or garden. He said that birds do not like to feed on caterpillars that consume milkweed, which is why this plan is highly likely to play a vital role in protection of future populations.

Monarch butterflies are known as the Illinois' state symbol. The overwhelming decline in the population of the amazing creature has made both national and international news.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources director Marc Miller has urged people to make state parks and backyards safe places for these amazing, long distance travelers. He said the fate of the monarch in Illinois depends very much on the fate of the plant host milkweed.