Monarch Butterflies Eat and Thrive on Milkweed

Creating habitat for monarch butterflies, one garden at a time...

Plant Milkweed Seeds for the Monarch Butterfly

Butterfly Encounters is encouraging everyone to plant milkweed seeds for the monarch butterfly. The caterpillar stage of the monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed plants. As land is developed and milkweed populations diminish, the monarch butterflies habitat is lost. We can rebuild this habitat by planting milkweed seeds in our gardens. There are over 100 types of milkweed and we pride ourselves on offering as many species as possible.

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Tips for July

Several milkweed species require cold moist stratification before planting. Read our instructions for growing milkweed to learn more about this treatment so that you can be ready for planting seeds in November. All milkweed seeds we currently have in stock are viable for Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 planting.

Eastern Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) and Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), as seen in the pictures to the left, are two milkweed species that require cold most stratification before planting. Swamp Milkweed is a favorite for the monarch butterfly and is also a great plant for cut flowers!

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