What is milkweed? Monarch butterflies need the perennial milkweed plant to lays their eggs on, then feed the larva (caterpillar) by eating the leaves, then to attach the chrysalis, and finally they need the milkweed flower for it's nectar to feed the monarch butterfly.
Monarch butterflies are on the decline. Last year was a disastrous year for Monarch butterflies. During their migration northward they encountered a storm that killed millions of butterflies. I know that last year I did not see even one Monarch. This year we saw at least one Monarch every day during the latter part of the summer.
Monarch Chrysalis
A list of Monarch butterfly and Milkweed sites for more in depth information.
Fantastic video showing how to remove the seeds. Thanks YouTuber Mona Miller . Check out her YouTube channel. Lots of important and interesting facts.
Free milkweed seeds
Here at Gear Acres we try to maintain a large plot of native milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis).
I think that the 'weed' part of the name throws off people. This is not a weed. It is a tall perennial plant with a large beautiful light pink flower that has a wonderful scent and as an added bonus, the bees love it . Milkweed plants are not sold in plant form at nurseries because it doesn't transplant very well. You will need to buy milkweed seeds and sow those seeds in the fall. Seeds need the cold temps to germinate in the spring. We were lucky and had volunteer plants near our fruit trees. Volunteer plants are plants that you didn't plant but who's seeds were dropped by a bird or a seed that was blown into your garden by the wind. The latter is probably how the original seeds came to be planted in my yard.
What is this line and where did it come from????
Milkweed is not to be confused with Butterfly weed. You can buy butterfly weed at any nursery that sells perennials unlike the milkweed which needs to be grown from seed.
My local Home Depot sold butterfly weed this summer. It is actually a species of our native milkweed and it's botanical name is Asclepias tuberosa. Butterfly weed attracts butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. So plant this in your garden, too.
We planted 5 butterfly weed plants this summer. The flowers are orange but I understand that you can also get yellow if orange doesn't fit into your color scheme. It worked out perfect for us because we planted the butterfly weed plants along the fence row by the street and we used a brighter, warmer color scheme of orange, yellow, and red. We figured that unless we planted bright colors no one would see them as they drive by at 55 mph. Also, butterfly weed is hardy and likes the sun which is perfect for this area that receives intense sun from early afternoon to evening.
Today we harvested the milkweed pods so that we can plant the seeds elsewhere and have a second plot of common milkweed.
Have you ever wondered why they call it milkweed? The plant has a milky white sap that contains latex and alkaloids. Take care not to get the sap in your eyes. If you get sap on your hands, wash them immediately so that you don't inadvertently get it in your eyes.
As the pod dries, it splits open......
...and exposes the seeds that are attached to silky threads.....
.....these act as little parachutes that carry the seed in the wind to it's new location. I am going to harvest my seeds before they fly away, using the method in the video link located earlier in the post or right here. 
Morrie was today's supervisor. He thinks that we made a big mess and that we should pet him instead.
Do you have milkweed in your garden?
Go to MonarchWatch.org to see how your yard can become a Monarch Waystation.
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