Monarchs need your help NOW! During the past few years about 75% of the wintering Monarchs from North America froze to death in Mexico as a result of three days of rain and sub freezing conditions, there is also a Nationwide shortage of milkweed. These freak weather patterns and destroyed habitat kills millions of helpless Monarchs. Habitat must be protected now to ensure their survival, before we see the day when this miracle of Nature is only a memory. The Monarchs need your help NOW, please plant seeds and ensure their survival. A Milkweed in every yard!

Please let everyone know how to get milkweed seed and why it is so important!

Live Monarch is a National Foundation that protects and restores butterfly habitat across North America.

Live Monarch Foundation will send Butterfly Garden seeds including Milkweed and growing instructions, just mail us a self addressed stamped envelope. Your Save the Monarch Donation is greatly appreciated to help offset the cost of the many seeds we give away, personally plant and plants we provide to schools. We will include a donation receipt with your seeds to give you a record of this tax deductible gift.  If sending a donation by check, please make checks payable to:  Live Monarch Foundation

One dollar goes a long way to help Monarchs, and we can also send 50 seeds per dollar as a thank you. If you need more seeds, send a larger donation with your request. (These same seed packs sell all over the web for $2 - $4 per 10 seeds). We send out Asclepias Curassavica (tropical milkweed / red and yellow flowers) It is a favorite egg laying plant which grows quickly and will sprout many seed pods, we also have a Northern Variety called Speciosa which can survive the winters, just request the type you want...Please give what you can so we can provide materials to as many children and butterfly lovers as possible.

You will receive seeds and a full color Monarch raising instruction sheet for your donation. There are no butterflies in your return envelope. The included reference sheet is a fast education to help Monarchs and butterflies in every life stage.

Attention Educators: We love the hundreds of letters we get from your 1st grade classes and other students! Keep the letters coming but please remember we have an expense in seeds and staff time to stuff each of those separate envelopes. We suggest you put all the envelopes or letters into one package and send that to us, you can then donate that postage to the cause instead of wasting postage and envelopes. This also helps us get the job done faster for everyone...Thank you.

GROWING INSTRUCTIONS FOR MILKWEED

The seed we send to you can grow almost anywhere in North America. When you are ready to plant, place seeds 1/8 inch below the soil surface using a deep pot, since most milkweeds have a long roots. Don't plant the seeds too deep, because they need plenty of light and warmth to germinate and grow (70 degrees). Keep the seedlings moist for the first three weeks after they sprout, then transplant to larger containers with good soil if necessary. You can lightly fertilize them once a week after the seedling stage, using a regular flower fertilizer. Cutting off the top of the plant creates more stalks and more leaves. It takes about two months before the plant is large enough for caterpillars to eat. After the leaves have been eaten, simply cut the plant off about one inch above the soil or lowest branching of the stalk and the plant will grow back fuller. Warning: one caterpillar will eat 20+ large leaves so make sure you have enough plants to support the number of caterpillars you have or they will starve.

When to plant depends on your location. It takes a minimum of 60 days from seeds to have a plant large enough to support caterpillars food needs. You can raise 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 winters cold. You can save your seeds till next year and start them early inside, then transplant outside when the weather warms up. Your goal should be to create a refuge of lush milkweed for the migrating Monarch. Once you have a good supply of milkweed you can also purchase eggs, small caterpillars or chrysalis and ensure there are butterflies in your area immediately. Just one mating couple and a good supply of milkweed could produce many healthy fluttering friends for your community. Check with your local plant nurseries if you have questions about when to plant seeds or when to buy plants or transplant.

Copyright 2002-4 Live Monarch Foundation