Milkweed, despite being the sole plant on which monarch butterflies lay their eggs, suffers from a branding problem. The name alone has long kept it out of backyards and public landscapes. Recognizing that perception was part of the problem, Detroit-based agency Lafayette American launched the Butterfly Superhighway—a multi-year campaign to reframe milkweed as essential, beautiful, and worth planting.
Through a blend of community engagement, interactive tools, and bold design thinking, the project invites people across the U.S. to help monarchs by planting milkweed and renaming it along the way. From “Monarch Milk” to “Butterfly Landing,” each new name comes with playful seed packets, vibrant iconography, and a mission: make biodiversity visible—and irresistible. It’s purpose work rooted in creativity, and it’s grown far beyond the original idea.
Lafayette American’s Gideon Lovell Smith and Jon Wolfer shared how the work has evolved—from interactive migration maps to 900+ seed packets sent across the country, to local rewilding efforts happening right in their own Detroit neighborhood.
It’s a joyful, design-driven model for what indie agencies can do when they build purpose into the work—and stick with it.
Why a Butterfly Superhighway?
“It’s a wacky idea,” said Gideon Lovell Smith, “but it’s an important story about biodiversity.” The initiative began in Lafayette American’s Detroit office with a tongue-in-cheek idea: create a butterfly highway by planting milkweed across the country. That joke turned into a serious mission. “There are lots of things in nature that need a little help,” Smith explained, “and branding can be one of them.”
Design That Evolves with the Mission
Each year brought a new layer to the project. The first iteration focused on awareness, with posters and visuals designed to spark curiosity. Then came an interactive migration map created with Echo Charlie, showing how monarchs travel from Canada to Mexico. Designer Jon Wolfer shared how the evolution of the seed packets reflected changing priorities: “We leaned into vibrant, playful visuals… moving away from traditional seed packet tropes.”
Getting Personal—and Educational
Wolfer wasn’t just designing for the project—he was raising butterflies with his kids at home. “They’re definitely attracted to the packets,” he said, describing the campaign’s visual appeal to younger audiences. “If my kids saw that, they’d be like, ‘Hey, we need to do this.’” Accessibility was intentional. “You can get a younger generation excited… but also be engaging to anybody,” he noted.
Beyond Monarchs: The Biodiversity Imperative
Smith pointed to the “windshield effect”—the observation that fewer insects are now seen splattered on car windshields—as a sign of declining insect biodiversity. Monarchs may be the poster child, but the Butterfly Superhighway is really about restoring a broader ecological balance. “There are 70 types of milkweed,” Smith explained, “but we use the common milkweed, native to most of the U.S. It’s beautiful—and it just needs a better story.”
Detroit’s Wild Side
The project also helps challenge assumptions about Detroit itself. “There’s so much green space in this city,” said Smith. Lafayette American is working with local organizations like Brightside Collective on rewilding and reseeding efforts in areas like Core City. “They’re designers, biologists, freelancers… making green spaces vibrant and biodiverse.” That includes planting pollinator-friendly plants far beyond just milkweed.
A Call to Indie Agencies
Asked what advice he’d give to other indie agencies considering purpose-led work, Wolfer didn’t hesitate: “Design is such a powerful tool… we’re uniquely positioned to create solutions.” He emphasized that this kind of work also reflects agency values and helps attract like-minded clients. Smith agreed: “What is good design if it’s not designing for good?”
A Few Packets and a Lot of Heart
This year alone, Lafayette American sent out over 900 seed packets. Recipients often share photos of their milkweed plants in bloom—many of which now attract monarchs annually. “It’s like Field of Dreams,” Smith said. “If you build it, they’ll come.” With more names, more seeds, and more people getting involved, the Butterfly Superhighway is showing what can happen when a good idea gets room to grow.
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Doug Zanger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Indie Agency News. He is also the founder of the Creative Bohemian consultancy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is insufferable about it.
