Monarch Defenders Philly
We are the first chapter of the youth-founded website Monarch Defenders, based in Northwest Philadelphia. Our mission is to bring back the endangered monarch butterflies and other local biodiversity to NW Philly through ecological restoration, one habitat at a time.
Building Back Urban Biodiversity
Wildlife populations across the country and beyond are plummeting as we enter an unprecedented global biodiversity crisis. But we can build back biodiversity by creating local habitats that foster nature and build community connection with the natural world around us.
We are currently working to increase urban green space in Northwest Philadelphia by revitalizing degraded spaces and creating microhabitats for biodiversity, bringing back butterflies, bees, birds, and wildlife and forging community connection with nature. We have currently created four biodiversity microhabitats in NW Philly. We work in partnership with several local organizations, including Friends of Wissahickon, Philadelphia Horticultural Society, and Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability.
Our Projects
Monarch Defenders Philly is working to turn degraded areas of Wissahickon Valley Park into pollinator waystations. We have currently planted two native meadow habitats for pollinators and biodiversity in the Cresheim Woods section of the park. Our first project began at the ruins of Buttercup Cottage on Emlen St. in Mt. Airy. Beginning in 2023, we began our restoration of the nearly one acre lot around the ruins, which had lain abandoned since the 1980s. We cleaned up trash, took out invasive plants, made public-accessible trails through the area, and replanted the site with a variety of native flowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs to bring back pollinators and wildlife. Now the pocket meadow and native garden is a community nature oasis, connecting people with the land and wildlife around them.
Our second project in Wissahickon Valley Park is just up the road, at the the triangle intersection between Cresheim Valley Drive and Navajo St. Since starting the project in fall 2023, we have transitioned the triangle of mowed grass into a native meadow oasis for butterflies and pollinators, and have also begun restoring the degraded woodland around the site by cleaning up trash and taking out invasive species. Each new area of habitat matters, no matter how small! Learn more below about our projects in the Wissahickon…
Monarch Defenders Philly has recently expanded beyond the Wissahickon to continue building a corridor of urban nature landscapes. In 2026, we started our two latest projects: one at a vacant lot in Germantown and the other at the Unitarian Society of Germantown. We are currently revitalizing a vacant lot in East Germantown neighborhood into a native pollinator garden and community green space at the intersection of E Armat St X Morton St. In partnership with Philadelphia Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability’s Climate Resilience Youth Council, we have planted hundreds of native plants with community members and volunteers and installed interpretive signage to educate the local community about the importance of pollinators and urban nature.
At the Unitarian Society of Germantown, we have begun our fourth Monarch Defenders habitat in Northwest Philadelphia. We have planted an educational native pollinator garden at the parking lot entrance on W Johnson St with a variety of native flowers and our beginning a larger meadow restoration project adjacent to the train track to bring back biodiversity. Click on the following links to learn more about our two latest projects!
Volunteer
We greatly appreciate volunteer hours to support our growing network of microhabitats in NW Philly. If you live in the area and are interested in helping us in our efforts, please fill out this simple form here:
