NORTH HALEDON — Local environmentalists have taken a unique step toward saving the monarch butterfly by naming its favorite food the borough's official flower.

Orange milkweed — or butterfly weed — offers many benefits to home gardeners, and according to Janet Rekesius, a member of the borough's green team, the monarch's life literally depends on it.

The green team hopes naming orange milkweed the borough's flower will bring attention to the plant, often the bane of crop farmers, and to the black-and-orange butterfly, which now is being considered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for status as an endangered species.

"You can't raise butterflies without milkweed," said Rekesius, who works for the Hudson-Essex-Passaic Soil Conservation District in Bloomfield. "We figured it was something that wouldn't cost the borough anything and that it would raise awareness."

According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, the number of monarchs has plummeted by 90 percent in the eastern U.S. over the past two decades.

Rekesius, a certified master gardener who studied plant science at Rutgers, approached officials with a proposal to name orange milkweed the borough's flower in December.

Mayor Randy George is expected to issue a proclamation to designate the official flower, possibly as soon as the next meeting of the Borough Council on Feb. 20.

Meanwhile, Rekesius said, orange milkweed seeds have been scattered at borough-owned gardens.

LOCAL: Fire company feud still blazes in North Haledon

TRENDING: Justin Bieber spotted at Clifton Smashburger

SILVER SCREEN: Midland Park's 'Karate Kid' stars in Christmas movie

Orange milkweed is one of three types of milkweed native to New Jersey, Rekesius said, adding that the perennial plant requires little maintenance and no irrigation. It is deer-resistant and tolerant to rocky soil. Its bright orange buds come out in mid-summer, when few other plants are at peak bloom.

That helps to attract the monarch and other pollinators, like bees and hummingbirds, Rekesius said.

But the monarch is different because it will reproduce only where there is milkweed.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, adult monarchs will feast on nectar of flowers other than milkweed, but milkweed leaves are the one and only thing its caterpillars eat. The butterflies lay their eggs on the foliage.

Donald Torino, president of the Bergen County Audubon Society, said he was impressed with North Haledon's move to recognize orange milkweed in such a way.

"That's wonderful news," said Torino, of Moonachie. "Helping the monarch has been a real grass-roots effort by everyday people. We didn't have to wait for scientists, or the government, to tell us what to do. Local people took this upon themselves to help the monarch, and this is a great example of that."

Rekesius said she contacted area nurseries, including Goffle Brook Farm & Garden Center in Ridgewood, to request that they begin stocking orange milkweed seeds for sale.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com