Free Butterfly Garden Seeds for Monarchs :)

[hummingbird]

May have been posted before, but I thought this was so cool! You just send a self addressed and stamped envelope and they will send you milkweed seeds for Monarchs. There are many other options, too, in their store link. I ordered started milkweed plants yesterday for just a dollar each. You can even get customized seed packets to give as housewarming gifts or sell for fundraisers. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the drifting seeds contained... looking forward to giving back to what we took during the construction of our home.
http://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm

 

[IcyBC]

Thank you for sharing this information! I always want to attract more butterflies to my backyard too since I live in a busy city. To see a butterfly hovering around is just a joy and I get such an amazing feeling. It is like free spirit symbol!

 

[ChanellG]

The monarchs were late last year so I actually had flowers on my plants which went to seed. I missed getting the pods off the plants a few times before they opened and had milkweed coming up all over the place. I have so many baby plants right now... Also, at the end of the season, I pruned my existing plants and used the tops to start new plants (they root easily in the soil).

If you grow milkweed it's always a good idea to have extra plants that you isolate. This way no eggs are laid on them and you'll always have food for the hatching caterpillars - you can have a dozen at once, and they will strip a plant within hours!

 

[hummingbird]

G

The monarchs were late last year so I actually had flowers on my plants which went to seed. I missed getting the pods off the plants a few times before they opened and had milkweed coming up all over the place. I have so many baby plants right now... Also, at the end of the season, I pruned my existing plants and used the tops to start new plants (they root easily in the soil).

If you grow milkweed it's always a good idea to have extra plants that you isolate. This way no eggs are laid on them and you'll always have food for the hatching caterpillars - you can have a dozen at once, and they will strip a plant within hours!

Good advice. I was concerned about that after reading how many leaves a single caterpillar needs. Maybe I should build a small PVC greenhouse. I ordered 30 plants. I didn't know you could propagate them, either.

 

[Trellum]

Awesome! Thanks for the tip! I might get some of those next year, I definitely want to attract them Planning to create a small pot garden for bees as well Oh yeah, next year is going to be so fun!

 

[hummingbird]

Lol. I know, it's so exciting! I already have my eyes on next spring, too. More butterfly and hummingbird plants and California poppies and lupines. It's a little tricky here with milkweed because monarchs overwinter in Pismo about 1.5 hours away and come here to breed in March. Need to stay ahead of their game. Thinking a green house is a must.

 

[ChanellG]

G

Good advice. I was concerned about that after reading how many leaves a single caterpillar needs. Maybe I should build a small PVC greenhouse. I ordered 30 plants. I didn't know you could propagate them, either.

I didn't do anything special to raise them last year, but the year before I converted my small greenhouse into a butterfly habitat by covering it with tulle. This year I am hoping to create something more like this:

Or even this:

You could also get by just doing something like this

I'd probably adapt that last one though into something that was standing.

I have all these pinned to my butterflies board on Pinterest if you or anyone else is interested in the how-to.
https://www.pinterest.com/cdgautreaux/in-the-land-of-the-butterflies/