A row of milkweed plants forms a lovely and fitting border along the front of the Machias Valley Grange. The Grange is maintained by the Beehive Design Collective, and milkweed is a critical component in the lifecycle of the monarch butterfly, an important North American pollinator. Monarchs have become increasingly rare due to the destruction of their southern habitat and destruction of milkweed plants, once considered a spreading nuisance in fields and gardens.