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Time to plant milkweed seeds for the 2015 monarch migration. Don't wait.
We'll be planting as many as 100 native-to-my-region milkweed seeds around our property and those of several of our friends this year for the first time. Not only that, but each will be a monarch sanctuary that each of our host friends have agreed will be free from herbicides or pesticides.
More info
It takes a minimum of 60 days for seeds to have a plant large enough to support a caterpillars' food needs. You can raise our tropical Milkweed in pots inside your home or greenhouse, and it should survive the winter. If you live in a northern climate and see snow, then request the Speciosia variety of milkweed seed, as it survives the winter's cold. - LiveMonarch.com
Fall migration
Spring migration
Multiple Generations
Generation 1 monarchs are the offspring of the monarchs who overwintered in Mexico. Each successive generation travels farther north. It will take 3-4 generations to reach the northern United States and Canada.- USDA.GOV
Generation 1 monarchs are the offspring of the monarchs who overwintered in Mexico. Each successive generation travels farther north. It will take 3-4 generations to reach the northern United States and Canada.- USDA.GOV
Be smart, plant native milkweed species for your region and curtail your use of pesticides or herbicides
To make it easier, see the regional milkweed species chart link below. You can Google the milkweed's scientific name
http://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/
Background
U.S. scientists to study monarch butterfly numbers for protected status
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014976129#post8
The fall of the monarch butterfly
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112779346
Plant milkweed to save the monarch butterfly
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023842336
Monarch butterflies drop, migration may disappear
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014712649
8 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
what species are safe for livestock And can grow here?
We have land to plant many bee and butterfly friendly plants...but I need to understand which varieties...
Thanks in advance... 
We don't currently have livestock..But our neighbors do, we let them roam our property.....and I do care about that. So, I will also contact our local Extension Ofc....
Appreciate the info
So where there was once nothing for a breeding monarch and black swallowtail, there will be something. I personally don't have a use for dill, so I say more power to them.
USDA Plant Guide (Showy Milkweed)
The young shoots, stems, flower buds, immature fruits, and roots of showy milkweed were boiled and eaten as a vegetable by various indigenous groups of eastern and mid-western America.
In some areas the young leaves and stems were used as greens. The flowers were also eaten raw or boiled, and the buds were boiled for soup or with meat. The most common use for these plants, recorded among almost all the tribes throughout California, was to obtain a kind of chewing gum from the sap of Asclepias speciosa. The sticky white sap was heated slightly until it became solid, then added to salmon fat or deer grease.
The sap of Asclepias speciosa was used as a cleansing and healing agent by some of the desert tribes for sores, cuts, and as a cure for warts and ringworm. The silky hairs were burned off the ripe seeds, which were then ground and made into a salve for sores. Seeds were boiled in a small amount of water and the liquid used to soak rattlesnake bites to draw out the poison. A hot tea made from the roots was given to bring out the rash in measles or as a cure for coughs. It was also employed as a wash to cure rheumatism. The mashed root, moistened with water, was used as a poultice to reduce swellings.
Insectary: Milkweed species are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insects. Accordingly, this is a wonderful horticultural plant for beautiful floral landscaping that attracts butterflies (particularly Monarchs) and other insects. - USDA.GOV
The young shoots, stems, flower buds, immature fruits, and roots of showy milkweed were boiled and eaten as a vegetable by various indigenous groups of eastern and mid-western America.
In some areas the young leaves and stems were used as greens. The flowers were also eaten raw or boiled, and the buds were boiled for soup or with meat. The most common use for these plants, recorded among almost all the tribes throughout California, was to obtain a kind of chewing gum from the sap of Asclepias speciosa. The sticky white sap was heated slightly until it became solid, then added to salmon fat or deer grease.
The sap of Asclepias speciosa was used as a cleansing and healing agent by some of the desert tribes for sores, cuts, and as a cure for warts and ringworm. The silky hairs were burned off the ripe seeds, which were then ground and made into a salve for sores. Seeds were boiled in a small amount of water and the liquid used to soak rattlesnake bites to draw out the poison. A hot tea made from the roots was given to bring out the rash in measles or as a cure for coughs. It was also employed as a wash to cure rheumatism. The mashed root, moistened with water, was used as a poultice to reduce swellings.
Insectary: Milkweed species are attractive to butterflies, bees, and other insects. Accordingly, this is a wonderful horticultural plant for beautiful floral landscaping that attracts butterflies (particularly Monarchs) and other insects. - USDA.GOV
Rabbits and deer are said to avoid eating the plants, but we're not taking any chances. We have chicken wire around where the spouts are coming up.
Might even make a clever sign to welcome the Monarchs to the neighborhood.
