The official blog of Grow Milkweed Plants. Current milkweed information. Monarch study and rearing from first hand experiences.

2016 Monarch Butterfly Rearing and Tagging

3/21/2017

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

Starting & Caring for Milkweed

2/8/2016

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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.

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.

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.

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

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.

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.

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

KnockoutRoses.net

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Planting milkweed Seeds with Keurig Kcup's

3/1/2015

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Seed starting in Spring requires a plan

Materials list:

Keurig K-cups
Greenhouse, up-cycle a plastic container
Seed starting mix
Butter knife
Optional materials, coffee and cookies.

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My plan was to start early and with very low cost items that are commonly found around the house. The example I am using is for a very tiny window sill greenhouse seed starter. You could use a larger clear container and expand the capacity very easily.

The one material that I did spend money on was the soil. For about $10 I grabbed a bag of Jiffy Natural and Organic Seed Starting Mix. Using a seed starting mix has proven, in my experience, to be a good value. The small roots do better growing unrestricted in the loose mixture.

Step 1, start drinking your coffee

Once you have had a reasonable amount of coffee you are ready to begin. Since my tiny greenhouse holds only two K-cups I set out two cookies. This ought to get me thru the process. If you are interested in starting a larger number of seeds then start looking for a large clear plastic container. Anything with a flat bottom and removable lid will work great. Perhaps those $5 cookies that are always on sale at your grocery store would make a good greenhouse?

Once you have enough K-cups then you are ready to begin. In the next step I will show you how I prepared the K-cup so that it is ready for the seeds.

Step 2, Dismantle the K-cup and compost grounds

The K-cup is made up of a plastic cup, filter containing coffee grounds and tin foil lid. The only part that is required for this project is the plastic cup. Use a plastic or metal butter knife to cut off the tin foil lid. Remove as much of the lid as is easy for you. Then use the butter knife to tear thru the paper filter. Yes you fingers to pull the filter out of the K-cup.

In the photo you can see the K-cup at the top has the tin foil pulled back. The K-cup on the bottom is finished. The tin foil and the paper filter has been removed entirely. Simply rinse out the cup and you are ready for the next step.

Step 3, Add the Soil and Milkweed Seeds

Add your soil of choice to the tiny cup and place the milkweed seeds on top. I don't cover the seeds because milkweed loves the sunshine. Soil covering the seed will block light and may delay the germination of the seed. There will be enough moisture for the seed because of the high humidity that will occur inside the tiny greenhouse.

Before I finish I like to spray the top of the soil filled cup with a few squirts of water. Although the hole in the bottom of the cup should wick up water I think getting all the soil wet right away may speed up the process and ensure the seed is moist right from the start.

DIY Milkweed Greenhouse

Additional Tips & Tricks

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Soak your seeds for 1 or 2 days before starting this project. Soaking seeds 24-48 hours will increase seed germination significantly.
Check that there is water in the bottom of the tray so that the humidity in the greenhouse stays high.
Spray seeds directly with water if the surface soil becomes dry.
Monitor the temperature of the seed and soil, if it is hot then move a few feet away from the window.
Move plants outside a few weeks after last frost.

2015 is an exciting year for milkweed. There are many private organizations and public nurseries that are working very hard to bring milkweed plants to local stores. Until their network is able to support the massive demand for milkweed you can use readily available milkweed seeds to begin growing asclepias plants in your home today.

Tiny Greenhouse Update, Twelve Days Later

There is great news in this update about my tiny greenhouse. But with the good news is also bad news. After having the tiny greenhouse on the window sill for a few days I dropped it on the ground. Not a total loss by any means but I felt like a klutz. The K-cups tipped over and the dirt and seeds came out.

Thankfully the spill was contained to the little sandwich container. It was hard to locate the seeds so I simply spread the dirt evenly and added some water and gingerly put it back on the window sill. Today is twelve days after the experiment began and all four seeds, two per cup, have sprouted! Only three are visible in the photo but there is a fourth seed in there somewhere. The root actually extends all the way to the bottom left.

Tiny Greenhouse with milkweed seeds

Update 5/12/2015

After a successful transplant in mid March these milkweed plants have continued to grow very well as an indoor houseplant. They get indirect sunlight in the morning and I adjust the blinds in the afternoon to give them more or less sunlight depending on how quickly I want them to grow. More sunlight encourages growth.

One Gallon Milkweed Greenhouse

Overwintering milkweed seeds results in higher germination of the seeds and yields more plants in the Spring. My favorite method is to make a one gallon greenhouse. The one gallon greenhouse protects the seed from scavenging animals and retains the moisture thru the winter.

11/27/14

In the Spring the one gallon greenhouse raises the temperature of the seed earlier while also protecting the seed from freezing temperatures later. It's a real win win. The water needed is also reduced because much of the water is retained within the one gallon greenhouse.

2/1/15

The One Galon Greenhouse is Easy

1. Dirt

2. Sprouts

3. Growth

4. Transplant

Once the milkweed plants are bursting out of the top then it is time to transplant. Transplanting is simple. The plant and roots slide out the top of the jug and you place them in a hole of equal size. Add water and sunshine and wait for the monarch butterflies to lay their eggs on your new plants.

If you found this page useful, please share it with your friends!

4/15/15

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Driving to Boise in search of Milkweed and Monarchs

7/31/2014

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A road trip to Boise is an opportunity to search for milkweed and monarchs.
The drive from Reno to Boise is an excuse to look for milkweed. I may also scatters some Mexican Whorled Milkweed seeds along the way. [graduation congratulations trip to see Derek McDowell]

One of the most vocal groups claiming that the toxicity of milkweed makes if it an invasive is the farmers. If you are a farmer and you have a pasture with cattle or other livestock, then milkweed is not a good plant to have in your pasture. Sadly that with the drought across the Western states grasslands are becoming barren.

Milkweed should not be encouraged to grow in a pasture. I am simpathetic to the animals who may be compelled by food scarcity to graze on milkweed. Its is not a crop to be raised for grazing.

I know Idaho has a lot of open range grazing for their cattle.Despite the know absence of Milkweed across the country. I am still hoping to find milkweed in the city and state parks near Boise, ID.

There are no cattle grazing in the city parks as far as I know. I plan to look along the Boise River path that meanders thru town. With so many climate similarities to Reno and out Truckee River I think it's likely that there can be Mexican Whorled Milkweed Milkweed and Showy Milkweed on the banks of the river. I depart tomorrow, May 15th, 2014 (I'm up late so thats today) and will continue this post soon.

I did not see any milkweed plants. I looked the entire weekend.The aqueduct near the Boise Town Square Mall didn't have any. The path along the Boise River had a lot of diversity but no milkweed. I only walked a short section in Garden City. I did see three butterflies but I don't think any were Monarchs.

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Forward>>

2016 Monarch Butterfly Rearing and Tagging

Butterfly Circus!

Starting & Caring for Milkweed

Prepare Your Milkweed for the Monarchs Arrival

Expose Milkweed to the Breeze

Diversify Your Milkweed Garden

Plan Ahead for Next Seasons Monarchs

Planting milkweed Seeds with Keurig Kcup's

Seed starting in Spring requires a plan

Step 1, start drinking your coffee

Step 2, Dismantle the K-cup and compost grounds

Step 3, Add the Soil and Milkweed Seeds

DIY Milkweed Greenhouse

Additional Tips & Tricks

Tiny Greenhouse Update, Twelve Days Later

Update 5/12/2015

One Gallon Milkweed Greenhouse

The One Galon Greenhouse is Easy

Driving to Boise in search of Milkweed and Monarchs

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