Monarch Watch and Planting Milkweed
2009 April 6
We pulled out our seed box yesterday. It’s full of envelopes stuffed with seeds from our gardens.
We had so much fun going through the box and seeing the gems we had saved in the fall.
Milkweed is the favorite, so we decided to plant these seeds first.
Separating the seeds from the fluff is fun, but you have to be quick or they could fly away.
We are planting a Monarch Waystation this year, our milkweed seeds are perfect for this. The waystation is a safe, organic place for the Monarch butterflies to lay their eggs. Milkweed is their host plant; the caterpillars will only eat milkweed.
Visit Monarch Watch to learn more about Monarchs, Monarch waystations and ways to protect this beautiful butterfly.
How cool! We made our yard bird friend this year with a lot of success but since we don’t own our house we didn’t do much to make it butterfly friendly with plantings. I can’t wait to do that when we buy our next house!
Ack! You’re planting milkweed!
I hope you have lots and lots of Monarchs. 
Thank you–thank you for this post. We are going to try it too. I can’t wait to go outside and dig around!
We are starting milkweed seeds this year too.
Oh, they should attract a lot of caterpillars!!! It’s quite fascinating!
You just reminded me that I saved some milkweed seeds last fall as well! My kids will be excited when I tell them they attract Monarchs.
Great post, and I’m very jealous of your full box of seeds!
we plant milkweed for the monarches as well. its nice to now it is all around for them to choose:-) We plant ours right near our butterfly bushes, and it really is a pretty showy place.:-)
Thanks for the link – I’ll have to check it out since Owen has shown some interest in butterflies this year.
He is also a huge fan of the Luna Moth…
I love how you put seeds packet in a box (shoe box). That is something I need to do.
Cool, I didn’t really know what milkweed looks like. I’ll check the link when I feel better. Thanks.
Milkweed is so beautiful! Looks like you have plenty of seeds for the season judging from the size of that box! Yay, spring!
What a great project! I can’t wait to see this unfold
Oh, milkweed is so soft, I just love the feel of it!
We have a treasure box like yours, and we also love the excitement and joy of opening up the seed box at the start of the new season and the happy memories and inspirations we find in it.
How wonderful that you saved all those seeds! The milkweed waystation for the Monarchs sounds really cool! What fun you all are having!
Great idea! I’ve been wanting to try this too. Someday when we have somewhere with a yard.
Can’t wait to see pictures of the butterflies you attract!
that box full of seed from the garden looks just like the one that i should have by now. ive been meaning to save seeds for at least 2 years. i know my pea seeds i collected got left outside and sprouted lol, who knows what happend to the rest. one day ill do it!
Fascinating! I can’t wait for the results:)
What a great idea! I’ll have to do this next year.
Just today I was trying to figure out how to add a milkweed-like seed-fluff to a felt story board. Any thoughts, crafty Mama?