It’s April 21st and in St. Louis we have just been visited by our first Monarch butterfly. This was a female looking for milkweed to lay eggs on.
What is interesting to note is that just six days ago, we had frost yet the cooler temperatures have not hurt the monarchs or the milkweed.
Unless you have started milkweed from seed, most people won’t have any milkweed to provide the visiting monarchs.
Swamp Milkweed is one of my favorites in spring as it has a lovely form and beautiful flowers.
The problem we have is that it only lasts three or so years before it dies off. The problem is probably the hot dry summers we have, which is not conducive to any plant with swamp in it’s name.
To avoid having to buy new plants every year, make sure you collect the seeds when they ripen on the stem, put them in a paper bag and then plant them in late fall where you want them to grow. Next year you will be rewarded with lots of new plants free of any cost. You can also buy seeds online and plant them outside in the fall.
Another trick I have learned is that your can dig up plants early in the spring and divide them. This way you may end up with six plants instead of one.
According to Monarch Watch, the Monarch population has the largest population in twelve years. The population more than doubled going from 2.48 hectares to 6.05 hectares.
Here’s your chance to get up close and personal with Monarch butterflies.