Milkweed Seed Season 🦋 Fall 2022 Event Cache

My dad has raised monarch butterflies for several years, and has gifted me some swamp milkweed seeds. I'd like to share them with fellow cachers as part of a pseudo-CITO, to help encourage the growth of native Manitoba wildflowers and pollinators. Fall is the best time to plant milkweed, and they will begin growing the following spring. I've included growing information in the cache description - I've never tried growing milkweed myself so I'm not able to answer any questions, but I encourage you to check Google or your local nursery/flower afficianado. My understanding is that you can stick your finger in the soil to make a hole, place a seed inside, cover it, and it'll be good for the winter. 

At the time of publication, I have approx. 200 seeds to give out, and will have them in individual baggies for grabs. We will meet at the Transcona Library in the outdoor seating area. Please RSVP to this page by Oct 20 to ensure I will have seeds available for you.

Milkweed, also known as Asclepias, is one of the best native wildflowers for attracting pollinators to the garden and is the sole host plant for the Monarch butterfly. Many gardeners realize the importance of adding milkweed to their gardens to help the disappearing Monarch population. But Milkweed is also a decorative and showy addition to the garden, offering up tufts of long-lasting blooms in the summer months. Depending on the variety, flowers come in all shades of pink, orange, and white, fitting in with any garden style as long as you have a spot to really let it multiply and grow.

Once established, this native plant is a breeze to grow and requires little maintenance. Although you can plant Milkweed in the spring after cold stratification and starting seeds indoors, fall is the easier — and more natural — time to plant. Why is this? If you’ve ever seen milkweed in action in the fall, it’s easy to understand. Large seed pods open up and self seed readily, spreading this native wildflower’s seeds each season. So planting your milkweed seed in fall not only mimics how milkweed is planted in nature, but it eliminates the need for cold stratification as the cold winter months will do that for you. In short, direct sowing milkweed seeds in fall is much easier than planting in the spring.

Flower Colour:

• Pink

Flowering Season:

• Summer

Flowering Months:

• August
• July
• June

Canadian Rarity Status:

Not rare. Listed as “may be at risk” on Prince Edward Island.

Physical Appearance:

This perennial grows between 30 and 150 cm tall, with stems occasionally branching. The leaves are opposite, and lance-shaped with smooth edges. Flowers occur in clusters of 10-40 on stem-tops. Each flower has five drooping pink petals, partially joined at their base. Between these and the stamens are five light pink, hooded arches, each with a curved horn. In the fall, seeds with tufts of hair are released from tear-shaped fruits and distributed by the wind.

Gardening Notes:

Swamp Milkweed can be grown from seed or by dividing already established plants.

Canadian Distribution:

• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec

Prairie Types:

• Tall Grass Prairie

Habitats:

• Forests
• Prairies
• Roadsides
• Wetlands

Moisture Conditions:

• Moderate
• Moist
• Wet

Light Preference:

• Full Sun
• Part Shade

Soil Preference:

• Acidic
• Clay
• Loam
• Neutral
• Silt

Perennial

• • Food plant for the Monarch butterfly
  • Attracts and feeds other pollinators
  • Full sun to partial shade
  • Hardy to Zone 3

Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Sun , Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium
Soil Description: Rich, wet, very muddy to average garden moisture. One of the few ornamentals that thrives in mucky clay soils. Prefers neutral to slightly acidic soil but will tolerate heavy clay.
Conditions Comments: With its showy flower clusters that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, swamp milkweed is underutilized in gardens. In moist soils or in a pond, it will thrive. The interesting seed pods look like other milkweeds. Swamp milkweed will inevitably have aphids. The insects are not a problem unless the plant looks sick; at that point an effective treatment is to spray the plant and aphids with soapy water. Another possible treatment is to support the plant part with your hand and blast it with high-pressure water. Good for wetland gardens and habitat.

Sources: https://www.prairiepollination.ca/plante-plant/asclepiade_des_marais-swamp_milkweed/ and https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=asin and my dad who raises monarch butterflies