Milkweed and monarchs
Help Save the Monarch Butterfly! Participate in our annual Milkweed Seed Collection.
Monarchs are becoming increasingly threatened due to habitat loss and the use of herbicide. Experts estimate that over 90 percent of the eastern Monarch population has diminished over the past twenty years.
But you can help by growing milkweed in your garden and saving the seeds! Milkweed is an Ohio native and the sole host of the Monarch caterpillar. Saving seeds from milkweed in the community or in your garden is super easy. In late summer and early autumn, the seed pods mature and change from green to brown, split open, and reveal the emerging seed.
How to Harvest Seeds from Milkweed Plants:
Correctly identify the plant and make sure the seed pods and seeds are mature.
Pull the full pod from the plant stem and place in a brown paper bag.
Label the bag with as much information as you can (variety of milkweed, location, date, zip code, etc.).
Drop off milkweed seed at one of our drop off locations. Click here to find a list of participating locations for 2023!
