MILKWEED FOR MONARCHS

You have read many statistics about the catastrophic plummeting number of monarchs seen in
Mexico, their migration site and all across Texas, the Midwest and Canada. Each of us, although
we are only One, can help reverse monarch numbers and assure there will be monarchs in our
future. And that is... Plant Milkweed! – the only plant that monarchs will lay their eggs on.
Every member of the Public and every Garden Club can bring back monarchs, one milkweed
plant at a time, one re-seeded back road at a time with no expense or modest expense to
individual or club.

Milkweed For Monarchs is being developed as a multifaceted project involving planting native
swamp milkweed, (Asclepias incarnata), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and common
milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) where appropriate throughout Illinois.

 

GCI is partnering with Ward Johnson’s 501c3 charity, Save Our Monarchs Foundation from
Minnesota, (PO Box 390135, Minneapolis, MN 55439) which is dedicated to giving away
350,000 swamp milkweed seed packets free by 2016. Think of ways to pass out seed— you as an
individual or your club: Fund raisers, Earth Day events, Arbor Day, special programs. Other
organizations: Women’s clubs, church groups, Girl and Boy Scouts, 4-H—all waiting to
distribute and plant milkweed seed around our beautiful state. For seed packets immediately,
contact SaveOurMonarchs.org.