The Milkweed Is In! My Save The Monarchs Project

I finally put the milkweed into the garden this week. It is so late that I don't even know if it will help at this point. I was in San Diego on business and then the weather here in New Jersey has just been so wet, hot and humid, it was tough going to be out in the yard.


I planted both the tropical milkweed and the common milkweed. The tropical milkweed is supposed to be colorful and is treated as an annual. It will die off in the winter and will have to be planted again next year. The common one is a perennial and will propagate itself and while not as showy as the tropical variety, it is said to be very fragrant. I'm looking forward to that.  I grew both from seed.


I decided to devote one of my garden squares to the butterflies entirely. I used to grow vegetables in it. There is still some garlic, lettuces and a cucumber there, but most of it is parsley for Painted Lady larvae. Something said to me "Just do it! Make it a sanctuary for both the larva and the adults." And so I did. It now has both varieties of milkweed, the parsley, lavender and zinnias. I marked an old broken planter as my marker. And here it is:

In the garden we call The Divider we have mainly tall pines, lemon balm, roses, strawberries, hydrangeas, hollies and a magnolia we call "Stumpy." Stumpy was rescued off of the curb. A neighbor just threw him out. Because of this, his top died. Just picture my husband carrying this tree and it's root ball down the street. We cut it off and gave him some TLC. And yes, we pointed out Stumpy in all his lushness to the neighbors who tossed him. heh. 

I planted some milkweed there too, because there is a luscious butterfly bush there, and I wanted to be sure the butterflies were aware of the little nursery we are trying to start for them.

These are some of the common milkweed seedlings transplanted into larger pots until I figure out where I want them to go. There is a gully up the road, and I thought to plant them there to establish a wild milkweed area in the woods. But the thought of leaving them unattended and perhaps dying makes me hesitate doing that. I'm like a momma to my seedlings.

I found some additional sites for further reading about the monarch crisis and planting milkweed for them.

Stewardship Garden: http://www.ourhabitatgarden.org/creatures/milkweed-growing.html

Ecosystem Gardening: http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/butterfly-gardening-for-monarchs-got-milkweed.html

Michigan Live: (Great photos and Video) http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/10/bring_on_the_milkweed_to_bring.html

My "Save the Monarchs" Butterfly Backyard Project

I was driving around the beautiful New Jersey Shore when I heard on National Public Radio that the Monarch butterfly populations were in serious decline. The reason? What else? Pesticides, GMO's and land development! One more things of beauty in the ecosystem that is collapsing due to humans acting unconsciously.

When I got home, I read the in depth articles below.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/03/20/f-monarch-butterfly.html


Monarch Butterflies Numbers Down Again Source: Science Daily

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130318-monarch-butterflies-animals-science-environment-nation/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/01/milkweed-for-butterflies.html

I suggest you read them, but sufficed to say, milkweed is the plant the monarch larvae feed on and it's disappearing. One way we can help them is to plant milkweed in our own gardens and landscapes. You know me, I go on a crusade. I'm the Joan of Arc of Nature....so that is exactly what I'm going to do. And I'll blog my experience for you.

Won't you join me?  I invite you to join my "Save the Monarchs" Butterfly Backyard Project and blog about it too. Be sure to post your links in my comments section and let's do this!

This is where I purchased the seeds.
http://www.butterflyencounters.com/

The company was mentioned in the article I read. The website has a lot of useful information and detailed descriptions of the different milkweed plants.

Important Precaution: One thing I wasn't aware of was milkweed has a toxic substance to it's sap, which protects the butterfly that eats it, so you have to be careful handling it and seek medical attention if ingested or if it gets into your eyes. Read more about the precautions on the Butterfly Encounters website.

So, where am I at with my little project right now? My order came quickly and I have planted the seeds in seed starting flats outside.

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