Milkweed Seeds Ripe for Harvest, Gather them Now for Future Monarch Butterfly Host Plants
The Antelope Horns milkweed we saw on our Texas roadsides in April are boasting robust seedpods now, ripe for the plucking. Asclepias asperula was one of the few wildflowers to dot our highways and wildscapes this spring, a welcome contrarian to the dreary drought and voracious winds that defined the second quarter of 2011. Fortunately, native species like these defy harsh conditions that leave other plants wilting.
We encourage butterfly gardeners to collect these seeds now to be cultivated into Monarch and Queen butterfly host plants. Surplus seeds can be sent to the Bring Back the Monarchs program, a milkweed restoration project organized by Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas at Lawrence.
