Monarch butterfly caterpillars only eat leaves from the milkweed genus, Asclepias spp., so it’s critical for those butterflies that we try to grow as many of these plants as we can. Collecting ...

CLECELAND, Ohio -- Matt, a reader from Broadview Heights, sent me an email and a photo last month and wrote, “I was out walking my dog and I saw these plants. Are they milkweed pods, and if so, can I ...

QUINCY — Have you ever planted seeds, and nothing sprouted? This could be the result of many different things such as soil moisture, seed viability, soil temperature, planting depth, and many other ...

Growing milkweed from seed is one of the easiest ways to help declining monarch butterflies. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed monarch butterflies, whose numbers in the ...

If you’ve collected milkweed seeds, they may need a cold stratification, or cold treatment, period to imitate the outdoor winter conditions. Courtesy Johnson County Extension You might have read my ...

Ever had trouble getting seeds to germinate in the garden in the spring? If so, it’s time to do some research to see if your seeds need to be cold stratified before you plant them. Cold stratification ...

LISBON –If you plant them they will come. Milkweed, that is! Milkweed and Monarch butterflies have an essential connection because the monarchs only lay their eggs on the leaves of the milkweed plant.

Without cold stratification, many native perennial seeds simply won't germinate, resulting in a disappointing spring. But ...

Milkweed is a fantastic plant for pollinators, and one particularly adored by Monarch butterflies. But the Monarchs' population is declining, and gardeners need to stand up and do whatever they can to ...