Monarch Butterflies and Milkweed 2015

For about a year now, I have been working on adding some milkweed to the garden where I volunteer, at the Mount Pleasant Village Hall.  Last year I went out looking for milkweed plants, dug some up at a construction site and transplanted them in the rear naturalized area at the village hall. Here is a link to that blog.

Last November, I just about froze, snow seeding milkweed seeds on a cold windy day.  During the fall, I asked my friends to bring me a milkweed pod, should they see one in their travels.  I saved them until this one cold day.  I opened the pods and let the seed fly.  I will share what I learned this day.

Tip:  Do not put fresh lipstick or chapstick on your lips before releasing the seeds.  If you do, the fuzzy part of the seed will stick to your lips!  Very uncomfortable!

This spring and summer there are small clusters of the plants growing, and now they are blooming.  Butterflies and other pollinators love the nectar from the flowers.

Here is the native milkweed as seen today, July 22, 2015. It's about 4 feet tall.

Last night as a group of us were weeding in this area a female monarch continually returned to this area.  So today I took a bag lunch and chair over there in hopes of getting a photo of her.  She showed up the minute I sat in my lawn chair and opened my lunch. My photo was nothing but a blur. I've learned it is difficult to snap a photo of a bee or butterfly.

Now I'm hunting for the eggs that I hope she has laid on the underside of the large fuzzy leaves.