10/01/2026
UPDATE: Milkw**d seeds available for pickup!
A self-serve seed box will be posted on the parking lot fence. Please only take what you are willing to use or share. Each bag will have approximately 100 seeds. We will have more available if the demand is greater than what we harvested.
We will have milkw**d seeds available for FREE! We will be collecting in the next couple weeks. Stay tuned for pickup details.
Milkw**d pods are splitting open right now. And what you do next matters for the monarchs. 🦋
Monarch caterpillars can only eat milkw**d. No milkw**d, no monarchs.
What's happening this month:
→ Pods on common milkw**d and other native species turn brown and split open
→ Each pod contains hundreds of flat brown seeds, each with a silky white parachute
→ The wind carries seeds to new places
The problem:
→ Milkw**d in Midwest agricultural areas dropped by more than half over a decade, according to research, due to herbicide use and land conversion
→ Roadside mowing and development remove more every year
How to collect and plant seeds:
→ Wait until pods turn brown and begin to split
→ Collect a few pods (leave some for natural spread)
→ Remove the seeds from the fluff
→ Scatter seeds on bare soil and lightly press them in, in late fall (milkw**d seeds need a cold period)
→ Or store seeds in a paper bag in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks, then plant in spring
The guilt-reversal:
We call milkw**d a w**d. It's the reason a butterfly exists.
One pod.
Hundreds of chances. 🌾
