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*This blog post contains affiliate links to Amazon products that may help you germinate and grow milkweed plants.
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| Water Germination of Milkweed Seeds guide |
Water Germination of Showy Milkweed Seeds
In this test seeds of Asclepias speciosa (showy milkweed) were used. The seeds were collected in the fall of 2017. Under normal conditions the seeds would have fell to the ground in September. Their tough exterior would have been exposed to the weather during the winter. Snow and rain would have stratified the seed and prepared them to grow in the late spring.
The seeds being tested have not lived a normal life. These seeds were collected from ripe opening pods on top of milkweed plants that were beginning to go dormant after a long hot summer. After being collected they were separated from their seed pod and the milkweed silk that could have carried them thru the air. The seeds are dried for a few weeks in the open air and then stored in open bags indoors.
To be fair, nature does a pretty good job. Milkweed has been growing for thousands of years without any human intervention. On the other hand, one milkweed plant can cast out thousands of seeds and only a tiny fraction of those seeds will find the right conditions to grow. Milkweed seeds do benefit from Cold Moist Stratification which can be simulated in the refrigerator. It takes time to cold moist stratify milkweed seeds and may not be necessary. What if there is a faster way that works?
Materials
- 1 Seedling Heat Mat *Durable Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat Warm Hydroponic Heating Pad
- 1 Gallon Dechlorinated Water (tap water set out for 24 hours in an open container)
- 1 Thermometer *Non-contact Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun
- 1 Plastic Dome any plastic tub that has an opening bigger then the plate will work
Start of Water Germination2/10/18 12:00 68° 26 seeds placed in coffee filter and placed on plate. Poured dechlorinated water into plate to submerge seeds and wet filter. 2/10/18 21:00 68° drained water off plate. Added fresh dechlorinated water. Day One2/11/18 09:00 66° drained water off plate. Added fresh dechlorinated water. 2/11/18 21:00 water temp was 63° based on infrared thermometer. Drained water off plate (dropped half the seeds in the sink). Put seeds back and added dechlorinated water. Placed heat mat under plate. Water temp at 22:00 is 70° |  26 showy milkweed seeds |
Day Two
2/12/18 09:00 drained water off plate. Added fresh dechlorinated water. Placed plate on the heating mat. Water temp at 10:00 is 74°
2/13/18 01:00 drained water. Added water. 74°
2/13/18 01:00 drained water. Added water. 74°
Day Three2/13/18 13:00 drained water off plate. Two seeds are showing growth. Added water. Placed plate on heating mat. 2/14/18 01:00 drained water. Added fresh water. Placed plate with seeds on heating mat. At least six of twenty six seeds are growing. Water is 75° at 02:00 |  germination begins at day three |
Day Four
| 2/14/18 13:00 eight seeds are showing growth. Drained water. Added water. Back on heating mat. Water back to 75° at 14:00 2/15/18 00:00 drained and replaced the water. Placed plate on heating mat. |
Day Five2/15/18 10:00 Five days since test began. Exactly 50% of showy milkweed seeds have germinated. 13 growing 13 not growing. 2/15/18 10:30 clipped the tip of the 13 ungerminated seeds and placed them in a new coffee filter in dechlorinated water on a plate on a heating mat. A plastic dome was placed over everything and the temp is now 80°-85° 2/16/18 00:45 added water to plate. Dome created higher temp which evaporated most of the water. |  50% germination at day five |
Day Six
2/16/18 13:00 drained water. Added water. Placed plate on heat mat. Added dome over everything.
2/17/18 01:30 drained water. Added water. Placed plate on heat mat and covered with dome.
2/17/18 01:30 drained water. Added water. Placed plate on heat mat and covered with dome.
Day Seven2/17/18 07:00 test complete. 21 of 26 seeds are growing in only seven days. FindingsWithin 5 days 50% of the seeds germinated. Thats 13 of 26 seeds growing in five days. Clipping of the 13 ungerminated seeds was done at the end of 5 days. The 13 newly clipped seeds germinated at a rate of 62% after two additional days. That means 8 ofthe 13 slow to germinate seeds did end up growing after clipping occurred Total germination of the 26 seeds was 21 seeds or 80.7% |  80% germination at day seven |
Showy milkweed seed packet, Asclepias speciosa (hand collected)
Water Germination of Common Milkweed Seeds
| Water germination of showy milkweed seeds worked very well. 80% of the showy milkweed seeds germinated in seven days. I am repeating the test with common milkweed seeds. When you ask the internet "how to grow common milkweed?" you will almost always be provided directions to Cold Moist Stratification of Milkweed Seeds. Does it work? Yes. Is there a faster way that works? Lets find out. |  26 common milkweed seeds |
| Water Germination of Showy Milkweed Seeds worked and you can read about that at the beginning of this blog post. I'm in the process of testing the method using common milkweed seeds. The results will be updated as they become available. As you can see in this photo the common milkweed seeds are in a coffee filter. The coffee filter is placed on a lunch plate. Dechlorinated water is poured onto the plate so the seeds are fully submerged. The plate is placed on top of a seedling heat mat. A plastic bin is placed over everything. The temperature of the water is measured with an infrared thermometer. Current temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit Try to keep the seeds between 75 degrees and 85 degrees. Latest update 3/6/2018 |  water germination of common milkweed seeds |
Day OneDay one requires an initial setup. Place the seedling warming mat on a table and plug it in. Set a plate on the seedling warming mat. Hopefully the day before this you have left water out for twenty four hours so it is now dechlorinated water. Pour the water into the plate. Place the milkweed seeds in the coffee filter. Set the coffee filter on the plate so the seeds are completely submerged in water. Water temperature should be 75 to 85 degrees. | Day One Video |
Day TwoClipping the milkweed seed will speed up water germination. The seeds can be clipped before going in the water but I like to wait twelve to thirty six hours before clipping the seeds. Letting them absorb some water in the first day makes them softer and easier to clip. | Day Two Video |
Day Three
Water change twice per day. Two of the twenty six seeds have root beginning to show from the seed.
Day FourAt day four there were ten seeds beginning to grow. Sixteen seeds are not showing any signs of germination. At this point I was still expecting more of the seeds to grow over the next few days. That did not occur. All the growth began in fewer then five days. The best thing to do with the common milkweed seeds that are not growing is to place them into cold moist stratification. |  |
Findings
The test continued to day seven. The length of the seeds roots increased but the ungerminated seeds did not germinate. The method is effective in germinating common milkweed seeds. Only some of the viable seeds seem ready to grow. I would like to guess then cold moist stratification prior to water germination could increase the germination rates of the common milkweed seed.
Water Germination of Whorled Milkweed Seeds
The whorled milkweed seeds I am working with this week have a verified germination rate of 93%. The goal is to start these seeds growing in less then a week. The test began with thirty whorled milkweed seeds.
Day One Thru Three |  |
Day FourContinue to drain and replenish the water twice per day. At day four there are a total of six seeds germinating in the bottom of the cup. The cup has always been siting on top of the *seedling warming mat. Testing of whorled milkweed continued until seven days elapsed. |  |
FindingsAt day seven the seeds were removed from the cup of water, untangled, and counted. The results were extremely rewarding. Seventeen seeds are growing and thirteen seeds did not grow. The germination rate is 56% in only seven days. While the germination rate did not reach the ideal number of 93% the results are considered successful. In addition to the number of seeds that germinated I was very surprised to see how long the roots had grown and how vigorous the seedlings appeared to be. When the outdoor weather becomes suitable for growing I will plan to water germinate many more whorled milkweed seeds. |  |
Whorled milkweed seed packet, Asclepias verticillata
Water Germination of Mexican Whorled Milkweed seeds
This test began with thirty mexican whorled milkweed seeds. The seeds were placed in a cup and water is added to one centimeter in depth. Twice each day the water was drained and replenished. At day two there was one seed growing and twenty nine were not. At four days there were seven seeds growing and twenty three were not. The test continued for a total of six days.
Findings
At the end of day six there were seven seeds germinated. The test concluded. The germination rate in water of the initial thirty seeds was 23%. Seven seeds grew and twenty three seeds did not germinate. The seeds that did sprout grew very long and healthy looking roots. I decided to plant the roots in a bit of soil. The outdoor temperature is not conducive to growing milkweed seedlings in March. I have placed the plants in soil in a red solo cup with drainage holes. They remain on the seedling warming mat on my kitchen counter. I'll try to provide an update as far as if they survive or die. I'm not very optimistic because I continue to have problems growing mexican whorled milkweed despite how well it seems to grow all around me.
Mexican whorled milkweed seed packet, Asclepias fascicularis
Water Germination of Milkweed tree seeds
These are new seeds for Brad Grimm dba Grow Milkweed Plants in 2018. I traveled to the Rio Grande Valley to see the plant that produced these seeds. Oleander Seth at Oleander Acres was kind enough to sell me a few of these wonderful seeds. One of the first seed packets was sent to a customer who had wonderful results using water germination for her first time. Seeing the customers fantastic results I decided to sprout seeds myself. This test began on November 8, 2018 with only three Calotropis procera seeds. The seeds were placed in a clear plastic cup and water was added to one centimeter in depth. Twice each day, at twelve hour intervals, the water was drained and replenished. I added warm to hot tap water. At one and a half days (36 hours) there was two seeds with root radicals beginning to show. (see photo below)
two root radicals after 36 hours
Okay, so that was fast! Following the water germination method is working well. The seeds continue to get fresh warm tap water and remain on the seedling warming mat. At day two (48 hours) the two seeds have longer root radicals. (see photo below)
growth from Calotropis procera after 48 hours
Obviously it would be nice to seed all three seeds sprout. It just takes a little more time. At just under three days (70 hours) all three seeds have sprouted. This is when the fun begins.
These Milkweed tree seeds have made me feel like a real green thumb gardener. I should say that sprouting seeds in November isn't the best time of year because the sun is low in the sky and the outdoor temperature frequently drops below freezing here in northern Nevada. The Milkweed tree is a tropical and sub tropical plant so it will never live year round in its current location. Fortunately it can be grown in containers and that is the next step.
A wonderful advantage of starting seeds by water germination is how easy it it to plant the seeds. All I did was clean a container that previously has annual flowers that had perished in the recent freezes. I added a soilless base in the container to assist in facilitating the capillary action to wick water from the built in saucer. In the bottom of the planter I used a Coco Coir Brick. Then I added FoxFarm Strawberry Fields Potting Soil.
 planting seeds on day 3 |
Here is the great part. Planting is as easy as dumping the seeds right from the cup into the soil. All I did now was pour out the seeds and water onto the surface of the soil. I was careful to move the cup while pouring. I wanted the seeds to have separation. A simple circular motion was all that it took. One of the seeds didn't immediately pour out so I added more water to the cup and poured the last seed onto the soil a few inches away from the other two seeds. I've been keeping the planter on the seed warming mat and adding water to the planters saucer.
Today is day nine since the seeds started. Seeds have been in the soil for six days. All three seeds were only lightly settled in the soil. They have now pushed their way above the soil. Based on my germination combined with Jessalyn's germination results. The seeds are at 96% germination.
 growth at day 9 |
These Milkweed tree seeds are available for sale. The seeds are from the Milkweed tree grown at The Butterfly Garden at Oleander Acres RV Resort. To hear about my visit to the Rio Grande Valley you can listen to the podcast episode titled Milkweed Butterflies of the Rio Grande Valley.
Milkweed tree, Calotropis procera 19 seeds
Common names include Sodom's Apple, Dead Sea Apple, Rooster Tree, Rubber Bush and Milkweed tree. Zone 10-11 plant will like special treatment in colder zones during winter. Can be grown in an island (container),
Water Germination of Butterfly Weed Seeds
Day One
Thirty butterfly weed seeds placed in a cup of shallow water. Placed cup on seedling warming mat. Water changed with fresh water after twelve hours.
Day Two
Water changed with fresh water twice on day two.
Day Three
Water changed with fresh water twice on day three.
Day Four
Water changed with fresh water twice on day three.
Durring the second water change twenty seven of the thirty seeds were growing.
Durring the second water change twenty seven of the thirty seeds were growing.
Day Five
At the beginning of day five all thirty seeds were growing. 100% germination of thirty seeds in five days.
 Butterfly weed seeds |  Butterfly weed seeds |
Findings
WOW! Water germination of butterfly weed worked great. I've never seen 100% germination before. Results are not typical. These seeds in the test are no longer available but they were great while they lasted. Plants from these seeds are growing in my garden. When they produce seeds I'll make them available on this site.
Butterfly weed seed packet, Asclepias tuberosa (hand collected)
Water Germination of Sand MilkWeed Seeds
Day One through Day Five
Thirty Sand milkweed seeds placed in a cup of shallow water. Placed cup on seedling warming mat. Water changed with fresh water after twelve hours. Water changed every twelve hours for five days. At the beginning of the fifth day six seed were growing.
Day Six Through Day Eight
Water changed with fresh water every twelve hours. On the beginning of day eight ten seeds were growing. The ten growing seeds were planted.
Day Nine Through Day Eleven
Water changed with fresh water every twelve hours. The water germination test concluded on day eleven. Eleven seeds grew.
Findings
Eleven of thirty sand milkweed seeds grew. The germination rate is 36%. The seeds were from Prairie Moon Nursery and they told me the germination rate of these seeds was 25%. Therefore water germination of sand milkweed appears to work better then whatever method was used in their germination test.
Sand milkweed seed packet, Asclepias arenaria
Water Germination of Heartleaf MilkWeed Seeds
Day One Through Day Nine
| Thirty Heartleaf milkweed seeds placed in a cup of shallow water. Placed cup on seedling warming mat. Water changed with fresh water after twelve hours. Water changed every twelve hours for nine days. On day five i scraped the tip of five seeds with a sharp knife to remove part of the seeds exterior near where the root radical grows from. On day nine I clipped the tip of the other twenty five seeds with tweezers. |  Heartleaf milkweed seed |
Water Germination of Desert Milkweed Seeds
| Highly successful! Water germination of these desert milkweed seeds was very quick and easy. The seeds began sprouting on the second day and all fourteen of the seeds that grew were growing by day three. One seeds didn't grow at all. The sample size was small only fifteen seeds. Overall I got 93% germination. After getting sprouts in three days I continued the water germination process thru day five. On the fifth day I planted the seeds in soil. I made a video of the process. Be sure to Subscribe, Like and Share the video. |  Desert milkweed seeds July 2018 |
| |  Desert milkweed plants August 2018 |
Pro tip. Asclepias erosa grows a massive taproot when mature. This allows it to be a great plant thru the dry hot summers in the southwest. Be aware that the small root is very brittle and a great deal of care needs to be taken while handling and planting the seedling. A broken root can kill the fragile plant.
Desert milkweed seed packet, Asclepias erosa 29 seeds
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Cold Moist Stratification of Milkweed Seeds
By Brad Grimm at Grow Milkweed Plants
Cold Moist Stratification (CMS) describes the process that seeds naturally progress through. Timing of the process occurs naturally when the seed is dispersed from the milkweed plant in the fall and continues until the seed begins to grow in the spring. The process I am presenting for CMS is designed to simulate winter conditions and can be applied to the milkweed seed at any time of the year in your home.
 | Winter sowing milkweed seeds is the natural way to break their dormancy. The cycle of freeze and thaw mixed with occasional rain or snow does two things. First, the seeds coat is physically scraped by movement over the dirt. Second, the inner biology is adjusted because the seed has been imbibing water over the winter. Once the warm days arrive in late spring seed is prepared for grow. |
Planting milkweed seed between Thanksgiving and Christmas is my favorite. It's nice to get the seeds in the dirt before the snow arrives. Casting milkweed seed over the snow leaves them exposed to become the food for small animals.
Materials needed:
|  prepare the work space |
Process:
|
Download the Cold Moist Stratification .PDF file so you will have it ready when you begin growing milkweed seeds.
| Guide to Cold Moist Stratification .PDF |
Repeat success indicates that the process works!
CMS with showy milkweed seedsOn 2/18/17 I prepared seven baggies with showy milkweed seeds. Pictured is midway thru the process. On the left I am in step 7. Dormant seeds are spread on the moist paper towel.  showy milkweed seeds | CMS with woollypod milkweed seedsIn May 2017 I purchased woollypod milkweed seeds on ebay and began the process of CMS to prepare them to grow. These seeds are really big! The seeds were collected in the fall of 2016 and began dormant.  woollypod milkweed seeds |
| At step 9 the seeds are prepared to go into the refrigerator for 40 to 60 days.  | Step 14 was hard to wait for. It's not much to look at right now. Exciting biological changes have actually been occurring inside the seed over the last 40 days.  |
| Step 12 looks easy. Waiting can be the hardest part. Give the seeds 40 to 60 days in the refrigerator. My fridge has a temperature display on the door. Looks like the seeds are about 37 degrees.  | Step 15 is pretty cool to see. The seeds are growing right inside the baggie! Time to take the seedlings out of the paper towel and get them in the ground. Some of the seeds root is piercing thru the paper towel. Just pull the towel apart and be careful not to harm the seeds root.  |
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Update
Since February for the showy milkweed and May for the woollypod milkweed was to late in the year to winter sow I used the method described above. All and all it worked out great! By August the woollypod milkweed plants were beginning to look like real milkweed.
woollypod milkweed plants August 22, 2017
As summer became fall the temperatures outside began to cool off. The sun set a bit lower in the sky and the woollypod milkweed went dormant along with all the other plants. It's December 2017 now and the woollypod milkweed is completely dormant. I have been storing them in the garage for the winter. Hopefully in March of 2018 I will be bring them out to enjoy the warmer weather.
Butterfly Circus!
Training a monarch butterfly to dance on your finger isn't easy. It may be impossible. For a few hours after a monarch butterfly emerges from its chrysalis it is dependent on having a safe place to dry it's wings before flying. For that short period of time the monarch is a great companion. For the rest of its life it is your best memory.
Here is the data record of monarch butterflies that were reared at The Biggest Little Butterfly Garden In The World. Monarch Waystation #8269 is a 200 square foot monarch waystation located in my backyard in the town of Sparks, Nevada USA.
8/3/16 #31 Female
8/4/16 #32 Male
8/5/16 #33 Female
8/11/16 #34 Female
8/12/16 #35 Male
8/14/16 #36 Male m
8/14/16 #37 Female
8/21/16 #38 Female
8/22/16 #39 Female WSU tag A1656
8/22/16 #40 Female WSU tag A1657
8/23/16 #41 Male A1658
8/23/16 #42 Male A1659
8/23/16 #43 Male A1660
8/23/16 #44 Female A1661
8/23/16 #45 Male A1662
8/23/16 #46 Female A1663
8/23/16 #47 Female A1664
8/23/16 #48 Male A1665
8/23/16 #49 Female A1666
8/23/16 #50 Female A1667
8/23/16 #51 Female A1668
8/23/16 #52 Female A1669
8/23/16 #53 Male A1670
8/23/16 #54 Male A1671
8/23/16 #55 Female A1672
8/23/16 #56 Male A1673
8/24/16 #57 Female
8/24/16 #58 Female
9/11/16 #59 Male A1674
9/11/16 #60 Male A1675
9/11/16 #61 Female
8/3/16 #31 Female
8/4/16 #32 Male
8/5/16 #33 Female
8/11/16 #34 Female
8/12/16 #35 Male
8/14/16 #36 Male m
8/14/16 #37 Female
8/21/16 #38 Female
8/22/16 #39 Female WSU tag A1656
8/22/16 #40 Female WSU tag A1657
8/23/16 #41 Male A1658
8/23/16 #42 Male A1659
8/23/16 #43 Male A1660
8/23/16 #44 Female A1661
8/23/16 #45 Male A1662
8/23/16 #46 Female A1663
8/23/16 #47 Female A1664
8/23/16 #48 Male A1665
8/23/16 #49 Female A1666
8/23/16 #50 Female A1667
8/23/16 #51 Female A1668
8/23/16 #52 Female A1669
8/23/16 #53 Male A1670
8/23/16 #54 Male A1671
8/23/16 #55 Female A1672
8/23/16 #56 Male A1673
8/24/16 #57 Female
8/24/16 #58 Female
9/11/16 #59 Male A1674
9/11/16 #60 Male A1675
9/11/16 #61 Female
On June 22nd, 2015 I posted a page titled MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ARE EVERYWHERE. At the end of the page I set a goal to raise and release 25 monarch butterflies. "I set a personal goal to raise 2,500% more monarchs in 2015 than I did in 2014." Did I meet my goal?
The 2015 Monarch Butterfly Rearing Roundup lets you know how I did at achieving my goal. I couldn't be more satisfied with the results. Take a look at the following multimedia about the monarchs I raised in the summer of 2015.
2015
Monarch #2 Beckham male WSU tag #3015
Monarch #3 Cali female WSU tag #3013
Monarch #4 Diego male WSU tag #3001
Monarch #5 Eva female WSU tag #3002
Monarch #6 Fernando male WSU tag #3003
Monarch #7 Gail female WSU tag #3004
Monarch #8 Hurley male WSU tag #3008
Monarch #9 Iola female WSU tag #3007
Monarch #10 Jesse male WSU tag #3005
Monarch #11 Katniss female WSU tag #3009
Monarch #12 Leaf female WSU tag #3010
Monarch #13 Macon male WSU tag #3011
Monarch #14 Nancy female WSU tag #3012
Monarch #15 Oakley male WSU tag #3014
Monarch #16 Padraic male WSU tag #3016
Monarch #17 Quest male WSU tag #3017
Monarch #18 Rufus male WSU tag #3018
Monarch #19 Scooby male WSU tag #3019
Monarch #20 Talbot male WSU tag #3020
Monarch #21 Uma female WSU tag #3022
Monarch #22 Viper male WSU tag #3023
Monarch #23 Wadsworth male WSU tag #3024
Monarch #24 Xavier male WSU tag #3025
Monarch #25 Yale male WSU tag #A1651
Monarch #26 Zander male WSU tag #A1652
Monarch #27 Agatha female WSU tag #A1653
Monarch #28 Brad male NO TAG undersized
Monarch #29 Connor male WSU tag #A1654
Monarch #30 Dean male WSU tag #A1655
WSU Tag wild female #3021
WSU Tag wild male #3006
Monarch #2 Beckham male WSU tag #3015
Monarch #3 Cali female WSU tag #3013
Monarch #4 Diego male WSU tag #3001
Monarch #5 Eva female WSU tag #3002
Monarch #6 Fernando male WSU tag #3003
Monarch #7 Gail female WSU tag #3004
Monarch #8 Hurley male WSU tag #3008
Monarch #9 Iola female WSU tag #3007
Monarch #10 Jesse male WSU tag #3005
Monarch #11 Katniss female WSU tag #3009
Monarch #12 Leaf female WSU tag #3010
Monarch #13 Macon male WSU tag #3011
Monarch #14 Nancy female WSU tag #3012
Monarch #15 Oakley male WSU tag #3014
Monarch #16 Padraic male WSU tag #3016
Monarch #17 Quest male WSU tag #3017
Monarch #18 Rufus male WSU tag #3018
Monarch #19 Scooby male WSU tag #3019
Monarch #20 Talbot male WSU tag #3020
Monarch #21 Uma female WSU tag #3022
Monarch #22 Viper male WSU tag #3023
Monarch #23 Wadsworth male WSU tag #3024
Monarch #24 Xavier male WSU tag #3025
Monarch #25 Yale male WSU tag #A1651
Monarch #26 Zander male WSU tag #A1652
Monarch #27 Agatha female WSU tag #A1653
Monarch #28 Brad male NO TAG undersized
Monarch #29 Connor male WSU tag #A1654
Monarch #30 Dean male WSU tag #A1655
WSU Tag wild female #3021
WSU Tag wild male #3006
Beckham
| 7/10/15 01:50 Chrysalis is nearly clear. Monarch butterfly wings are clearly visible. Monarch is expected to eclose today.  |
| 7/10/15 10:30 Monarch has closed. Meconium has been ejected. Wings are symmetrical. Color is great and gender is Male. WSU tag 3015 |
Cali
| 8/16/15 10:00 Cali eclosed and is drying her wings. Gender is female. WSU Tag #3013 8/16/15 13:30 Cali is released!  Cali released | 8/7/15 01:00 Cali is hanging in a J-hook :) See photo "2nd J-Hook of 2015" Cali returns to visit the milkweed 8/17/15 Cali must have know that Diego was being released today. |
Diego
| 8/17/15 at Diego eclosed at 11:00. Meconium ejected at 11:40. Diego was released at 13:50 |
Eva
Eva is a special little monarch. She attached to the vertical wall of the enclosure. A slight tilt to the enclosure helped reduce the pressure on the side of her chrysalis. Eva eclosed at 8:00 8/19/15 Meconium ejected at 8:40. Wings look good!
Fernando
| 8/19/15 Fernando eclosed at 9:30 Meconium ejected at 10:00. Fernando is the second of two new monarchs today. Eva and Fernando seemed inseparable. After they were released they both flew across the yard and landed feet apart in a tree.  Eva and Fernando |
Gail
| 8/20/15 9:00 new butterfly eclosed. Time-lapse and slow-motion video taken. Slow motion video |  |
| Time lapse video |
Hurley
| 8/22/2015 Hurley is the guy on the right in this photo. Iola8/22/15 Iola is on the left in this photo. |  |
|
Jesse
| 8/29/15 Jesse eclosed at 7:40 and is a male monarch. He was brought to work to release. WSU tag #3005
| |
Katniss
| 9/5/15 Katniss eclosed at 12:00. She has been tagged with WSU tag #3009. |
Leaf
| 9/7/15 Leaf eclosed at 10:00. She has been tagged with WSU tag 3010. At 14:00 she was released with photos. |
Macon9/11/15 Macon is quite obviousely named after my favorite food; bacon. Macon was released at 12:00 with WSU tag #3011 Nancy9/11/15 Nancy and Macon flew free together. Nancy was been tagged with WSU tag #2012. She is named after my grandma Nancy.  |
Oakley9/13/15 Top Padraic9/13/15 Middle Quest9/13/15 Bottom Good chance this flying flower is the mother. She laid numerous eggs on August 17th.
|
Rufus9/14/15 Scooby9/14/15 Talbot9/14/15 Uma9/14/15 Viper9/14/15 |
|
Wadsworth9/15/15 Xavier9/15/15  | |
Yale
| 9/20/15  | |
Zander
| 9/21/15  | |
Agatha
| 9/24/15 Agatha female WSU tag #A1653  | |
Brad
9/26/15
| Brad is a special little butterfly. Brad fell from his silk while attaching his cremaster. I picked him up and attached him to some spare silk then taped him back up. He successfully emerged. Brad is the smallest monarch I have ever released. A small chrysalis makes for a small butterfly. Butterflies do not grow after they emerge. | |
Connor
Connor is patiently waiting till morning to fly free. #monarch pic.twitter.com/rzcGb728AY
— Brad G. (@growmilkweed) September 29, 2015
| 9/28/15 Connor male WSU tag #A1654 | |
Dean
| 10/08/15 Dean was the last monarch of the 2015 season. Because of the cooler temperatures it took a full fifteen days in the chrysalis for Dean to eclose. | |
WSU Tag wild female #3021
Season conclusion
I successfully raised and released twenty-nine monarchs in 2015. I had two fatalities in my care. One first instar caterpillar may have been eaten by a larger caterpillar. Another caterpillar fell ill, leaked green liquid and quickly dissolved into a black liquid. Presumably it was a bacterial infection. That was a tough loss.
The difficulities were few and the successes far outweighed them. Increasing the amount of milkweed available for monarchs in my yard has created a safe place for them to reproduce. Having a monarch waystation brought the monarchs to the yard throughout the summer months.
Last year I was living in a rental home and the yard was not my own. At the end of the season I relocated my potted milkweed to others in the community. The yard is likely to be overhauled with new plants. New for 2016 is my new house, Milkweed Manor. The landscaping in the backyard was a blank slate. A 180 square foot pollinator garden was incorporated into the landscaping.
The goal in 2016 is to foster an awareness of milkweed as a favored plant in residential landscaping. By growing native milkweed plants in my own yard I can share the value that the garden has to butterflies, birds and bees. If you are interested in locating native milkweed then please use the Milkweed Locator tool.
The difficulities were few and the successes far outweighed them. Increasing the amount of milkweed available for monarchs in my yard has created a safe place for them to reproduce. Having a monarch waystation brought the monarchs to the yard throughout the summer months.
Last year I was living in a rental home and the yard was not my own. At the end of the season I relocated my potted milkweed to others in the community. The yard is likely to be overhauled with new plants. New for 2016 is my new house, Milkweed Manor. The landscaping in the backyard was a blank slate. A 180 square foot pollinator garden was incorporated into the landscaping.
The goal in 2016 is to foster an awareness of milkweed as a favored plant in residential landscaping. By growing native milkweed plants in my own yard I can share the value that the garden has to butterflies, birds and bees. If you are interested in locating native milkweed then please use the Milkweed Locator tool.
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Post by: Jonathan Léger
Prepare Your Milkweed for the Monarchs Arrival
The word is out that the population of Monarch butterflies is decreasing. These insects have delighted legions of children on the North American continent for generations and the thought of their demise is distressing to many. Since the caterpillars require milkweed to thrive, residents of cities, suburbs, and rural areas are concentrating their efforts on propagating the species to ensure the survival of this wondrous species. If you have never grown milkweed before, here are some tips that will help your plants grow to be strong and healthy to nurture the Monarch caterpillars long enough for them to reach their butterfly adulthood.
Expose Milkweed to the Breeze
Believe it or not, you can start your seeds indoors. The trick is to make sure the seedlings have plenty of airflow while they are growing indoors so they will be strong enough to withstand the wind once they are transplanted outdoors. Be sure to move the young plants so their stems get wind from multiple directions. They will develop a thick outer covering that will help them to remain upright.
Of course, if you can grow them from cuttings, they will do much better. They should be placed into distilled water for four weeks in order to develop a large root system. The great thing about these two methods is that you can get started on these projects while it is still cold outside and your plants will get a head start on the growing season.
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Prepare a garden space that will accommodate at least six plants. When Monarch caterpillars start eating, they are very, very hungry. By giving them access to multiple plants, you create a better opportunity for more of them to survive to adulthood and, after all, isn't that the whole point of growing milkweed in the first place?
Diversify Your Milkweed Garden
To really increase your odds of successfully creating a habitat for these lovely butterflies, begin preparing more than one garden plot for them in the spring. Keep in mind that not every plant thrives, so if you grow your milkweed in multiple locations around your yard, you will increase your odds of success. Even if a storm blows through your area, it might destroy one of your milkweed patches, but it won't destroy your chances.
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Many people grow milkweed in containers and place them around their patio so they can watch the butterflies. If you want to do this, you'll need to get your containers ready in the spring. If you've used the pot before, check it for predators that might destroy the plants before you put in your milkweed seedlings. It's best to disinfect pots before use and rinse them completely before putting your potting soil into them.
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Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
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If you do choose to grow your milkweed in a container garden, you can overwinter them and place them back outside in the springtime for bigger plants that season. Overwintering works for most milkweed varieties, but not all. Move them indoors once they have stopped producing flowers or fruits. Once indoors, remember that they will still need to be watered all winter long. Perennial milkweed will go dormant in the winter and can remain potted outdoors throughout the winter.
Plan Ahead for Next Seasons Monarchs
After you have placed your plants into the soil, remember to put mulch around them. The protective layer of mulch will help to keep moisture in and help your plants to thrive. Leave some open space around the seedlings and check on them after a rain storm to make sure they don't get covered. You can buy a commercial mulch specially made for this purpose or you can use grass clippings. Both work very well.
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Some gardeners leave their Milkweed plants in the ground over the winter months but prune them back. If you do decide to do this, make sure to leave at least some of the stem showing above the ground. In the spring time, don't give up hope on your milkweed plants' survival. They tend to begin growing later than other plants do. Remember where you have placed them and keep a sharp eye for signs that they are renewing for a second or third year of growth.
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Once you begin growing your milkweed plants, you can either wait for wild milkweed butterflies to show up to lay their eggs or collect caterpillars from nearby milkweed and place them on your plants. Watching these caterpillars grow to adulthood makes it worth all the work in the spring.
Jonathan Leger is a member of the Garden Writer's Association and a gardening enthusiast.
He runs a site dedicated to the history, education and care of knockout roses at
He runs a site dedicated to the history, education and care of knockout roses at
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Make milkweed your friend. Your friends will love your milkweed. My name is Brad. Learn more about me now.
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