Grow Milkweed Plants

Asclepias fascicularis plants living dangerousely close to the highway where mowing was preventing it from reseeding the surrounding area.      Seeds were collected and grown and planted back, along the fenceline to ensure the success of these plants into the future.      Grow your own milkweed from seed. Order seeds now at growmilkweedplants.com/store

View the video presentation on YouTube at https://youtu.be/B6hDbCMm_bU   Tweet inviting the public to watch the presentation live. https://twitter.com/elizabethRGV956/status/1682094411755270144?s=20  

Presentation notes from the International Western Monarch Summit 2023. Dr Gail Morris, Southwest Monarch Study Coordinator. Divergent Migration Destinations and Overwintering Strategies of Monarchs in the Southwest. Patrick Anthony Guerra, University of Cincinnati. This or That? Orientation and Navigational Mechanisms of Monarchs who Migrate from Arizona to Overwintering in Either California or Mexico. Dr. Francis Villablanca, Cal Poly San Luis Obisps. Milkweed is not Milkweed is not Milkweed. Milkweed Butterflies: DANAINA, AMAURINA, EPULOEINA, ITUNINA. OUABAIN Heart Medecine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouabain Becky Martin, Toyota Corp. Sustainability Manager for Toyota. Seed Grants. Lumberjill Garden by Dana watch the Jarmination video on YouTube. Be sure to like and subscribe to the Lumberjill Garden channel https://youtu.be/SaDAqwi_0H4  

Summarizing the events on the morning of day two of the International Western Monarch Summit 2023. Keynote speaker Dr. Myron Zalucki sets it straight that more data is needed on the Western Monarch Migration and milkweed distribution in the western United States. Becca Lucas is a member of the YAK TITʸU TITʸU YAK TIŁHINI (YTT) NORTHERN CHUMASH TRIBE OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY AND REGION. Presentation on enviromental stewardship of the Northern Chumash. This is our promise "Return the land to us and the trees will stand until they fall down on their own." YTT Northern Chumash Tribe website https://www.northernchumashtribe.com/ Dra. Ek del Val Efforts to Conserve Monarch Butterflies in Mexico Dr. Ryan Norris Effects of neonicotinoid on the development, survival, reproductive output and migratory orientation of monarch butterflies. MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System https://motus.org/ Amanda Barth Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies WAFWA's Western Monarch Conservation Plan  https://wafwa.org/wpdm-package/western-monarch-butterfly-conservation-plan-2019-2069/ Direct download of "THE PLAN" https://wafwa.org/wpdm-package/western-monarch-butterfly-conservation-plan-2019-2069/?wpdmdl=13048&refresh=63f06e0c8db851676701196&ind=1602171186650&filename=WAFWA_Monarch_Conservation_Plan.pdf  

After a break of nearly two years. I have returned with great content to keep you plugged into the strides being made to support monarch butterflies. This eposide remineses about the 2020/2021 work done with Monarch Sanctuary Project near Austin Texas. In January monarch people from all around decended on San Luis Obispo, California for the International Western Monarch Summit 2023. On this episode I reference my hand written notes to share what I heard from Dr. David James during his presentation Western Monarchs: the Importance of a Holistic Understanding. I update you on my recent gardening exploits at the "Ghost Garden".

GMP 50: National Plant A Flower Day Sarah and I sow seeds and plant plants to enhance a habitat for The Monarch Sanctuary Project. Follow The Monarch Sanctuary Project on Facebook or Follow The Monarch Sanctuary Project on Instagram Watch the video on Facebook Guest host: Sarah Koschoreck Host: Brad Grimm

GMP 49: Western Monarch Count 2020 1914 Monarchs counted in the 2020 Western Monarch Count. See the data: https://www.westernmonarchcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/WMTC-Data-1997-2020_1.12.2021.pdf Host: Brad Grimm

Winter be damned. I'm gonna grow milkweed right thru the frost. Arizona milkweed and Aquatic milkweed are the number one stunners of the season. Tropical's persist, or die, depending on the duration of freezing weather.   Seed starting tips: put is soil and wait, put in soil cover with lid and wait, clip and water germinate, don't clip and water germinate. So there isn't one best way. Try different ways and see how the seeds start best for you. I learned that Aquatic milkweed likes to sit in soil for nearly a month before germinating. Most other milkweed seeds will germinate in one to two weeks.  Inspired by this wonderful Christmas gift from my wife I decided to try growing milkweed in a jar. I rinsed out the honey jar and added soil. Sprinkled a pinch of Milkweed Medley on the surface of the soil and watered the seeds and soil. Placed the cap w/ holes on the jar. Set it on the window sill and in a few weeks these milkweed plants are growing!  Jars are not great for milkweed because over watering and fungal disease is likely to occur without drainage holes. The double-cup is a good way to care for seedlings. In the top cup you poke drainage holes. I poke three holes with the tip of my paring knife. Add soil to the cup with drainage holes. Add milkweed seeds. In this cup I am growing Green antelopehorn Asclepias viridis. Water the seed into the soil. Place the top cup in the bottom cup and place in a sunny window.  Store link: https://www.growmilkweedplants.com/store  Host: Brad Grimm

RIP Tropical Milkweeds: Putting Your Garden To Bed This Autumn Monarchs are in northern Mexico. Right on schedule for Day of the Dead. Not all tropical milkweed are created equal. Why native milkweed won't thrive in a subdivision (paid link) Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks Bringing Nature Home, Updated and Expanded: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants Arizona milkweed finally has a pollinator on the flowers. Western honey bee is moving from goldenrod to late blooming Arizona milkweed. To be fair to the plant. It blooms and fruits all summer long until there is a frost. 

A Dose of Milkweed with Danny Sanchez Danny began gardening at an early age. Take a look at one of Danny's earliest experiences in the garden.  Danny's passion for gardening has only grown over the years. Guest: Danny Sanchez instagram @adoseofdannysgarden facebook Danny Sanchez YouTube A Dose of Danny Host: Brad Grimm Music licensed by Epidemic Sound

2/28/2020 Grow Milkweed Plants Podcast Episode 45 For complete show notes visit www.growmilkweedplants.libsyn.com Two tour guides at a monarch reserve in Mexico have been found dead. Foul play is suspected. https://www.mimorelia.com/localizan-sin-vida-a-raul-hernandez-guia-turistico-de-la-mariposa-monarca/amp/ LA Times reports that a bloody war is brewing over "Blood Avocados". Is no one safe anymore? https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-11-20/mexico-cartel-violence-avocados Sign the Change.org petition to boycott blood avocados from Mexico. https://www.change.org/p/whole-foods-boycott-mexican-avocados-buy-fair-trade Xerces Society has released the Monarch Butterfly count for Western Monarchs; and they are bad. 29,418 monarchs counted. Below the threshold considered sustainable. Will the monarch migration in the West collapse? https://xerces.org/blog/western-monarchs-need-our-help-more-than-ever Dr. Chip Taylor from Monarch Watch weighs in on western monarchs and the impact climate may have on the population. https://monarchwatch.org/blog/2020/02/25/monarchs-and-climate-in-the-west/?fbclid=IwAR2OuYfDhqegGypEdu92wPjpSzu_rbcRiSo8d5ZPLMNWmkFUnq2MHN967Lc Host: Brad Grimm

44 GMP PODCAST SHOW NOTES Rotary Club of South Reno Octoberfest silent auction. Check their events calendar for details about upcoming event tickets. renosouthrotary.com/   Air Carrier used for the 2019 trip to Lihue (LIH) Kauai, HI was Alaska Air alaskaair.com   Ground transportation used was Dollar car rental dollar.com   Accommodations used Ali’i Kai Resort, Princeville aliikairesort.com   Top 5 places to look at Calotropis plants in Kauai:  #5 Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera. Kauai Seascapes Nursery Inc 4741 Kahiliholo Rd # A Kilauea, HI 96754 kauaiseascapesnursery.com #4 Private Residence (near public road) Calotropis procera. 5204 Kawaihau Rd Kapaa, HI  96746 #3 Kapa’a First Hawaiian Church. Calotropis gigantea. Enjoy from public road. Advise not to enter property without permission. Address 4-1325 Kuhio Hwy Kapaa, HI  96746 North side of property.  #2 Puakea Golf Course Park Calotropis gigantea. 4391 Nuhou St Lihue, HI  96766 look East toward Costco Gas Station #1 Kekaha Beach Park Calotropis procera. 1-7698 Kaumualii Hwy Kekaha, HI  96756   Calotropis gigantea is propagated by stem cuttings. Place the cut part in water and watch for roots.  Calotropis procera is propagated by seed. I sell this seed at growmilkweedplants.com/procera $8.00   Hawai’i has two native butterflies. Hawaiians should get to know them. Love them. Grow their host plants.  1 Udara blackburni which can go by the names Koa butterfly, Hawaiian Blue or Blackburn’s Butterfly. The host plant for Udara blackburnii includes but is not limited to the following species. Dodonaea viscosa (Broad leaf hopbush) and Acacia koaia (Koai’a). 2 Vanessa tameamea goes by the names Kamehameha butterfly and the Hawaiian name of pulelehua. Host plants include but are not limited to Pipturus albidus (Mamaki).   Grow Milkweed Plants launched a Free Milkweed Seeds program on October 1st 2019. Did you read the email? email link  $475 was raised in a facebook fundraising campaign. Grow Milkweed Plants matched $500. The goal was to ship 250 packets of Free Milkweed Seeds to 250 people by Christmas Day 2019. The goal was achieved!!! Learn more about the program at growmilkweedplants.com/freeseeds Consider purchasing a packet that funds a packet of Free Milkweed Seeds for others or make a direct donation thru the PayPal link provided on that webpage.   

MILKWEED HIT LIST ✔️ Asclepias asperula https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62298 ✔️ Asclepias nyctaginifolia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62294 ✔️ Asclepias tuberosa https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/47912 ✔️ Asclepias linaria https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/62295 ✔️ Asclepias hypoleuca https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158742 ✔️ Asclepias nummularia https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/158751

Nestor R and Brad G wander the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in search of the rare Welsh's milkweed. Plant page: growmilkweedplants.com/welshii Observation: inaturalist.org/observations/30008278 Google's top six results for Asclepias welshii Wikipedia Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center USDA Plant Guide (.PDF) USDA Plants Profile U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service A. welshii (.PDF) Grow Milkweed Plants - Asclepias welshii Host Brad Grimm Unspoken guest: Nestor Robles

What you will hear in this episode. Asclepias cryptoceras grows in a remote location on a shale slope in the Great Basin east of Reno NV. Three experts and me have an unplanned meeting in the mountains and talk milkweed over a rare milkweed. Cocoa Beach Florida has sun and fun but I take a time-out under an umbrella to talk about the diverse number of locally native milkweeds in central Florida.  Guests: Anurag Agrawal, Elizabeth Pringle, Aramee Diethelm Host: Brad Grimm

Monarch Population Status The Xerces Society Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count 1997-2018 The Western Monarch Thanksgiving & New Year’s Counts Second New Year’s Count Supports Monarchs Movement Between Sites This master gardener is luring monarchs to Las Vegas   Host: Brad Grimm Guests: Anne Marie Lardeau, Glenda Bona, Nestor Robles, David Dewenter   ROYALTY FREE MUSIC by BENSOUND

Jet down to Oleander Acres to see if milkweed really is bigger in Texas.

I still laugh about the first time I "found milkweed". It was actually dogbane. I revisit this location and walk along the Truckee river in Reno Nevada. Learn about the different kinds of leaf damage on milkweed leaves. Milkweed bugs make a living on the leaf and we meet both the small milkweed bug and red milkweed beetle. Support the show by clicking thru the E-Z Straw amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2MXtQWh E-Z Straw is the perfect mulch for busy professionals who have a large container garden in need of mulch. For incomplete show notes visit growmilkweedplants.com/38 Podcast Location: Mayberry Park, Reno, Nevada Host: Brad Grimm Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com

  Fall monarch migration is beginning now. Monarch's keep warm in Mexico and California. If they were people we would call them snow-birds. Are you ready for winter? Check out these parkas insulated with the fibers of milkweed plants. Asclepias clothing is light, hypoallergenic and renewable. Plus it will keep you warm thru the winter!  Mason bees and summer leaf cutter bees do 10x the pollination work that a honeybee does plus they don't have a hive to protect so they don't sting. This summer, with the help of an instructables guide, I built a solitary bee house. Then to my surprise seven nesting tubes got used to build a bigger pollinator workforce. Over the winter I will make more and offer them for sale in the spring for you to place in your garden. Sadly, we mourn the passing of Mr. Lincoln Brower. Mr. Brower advanced the study of monarchs and milkweed and expanded our knowledge with over sixty years of research and education. His contributions will not be forgotten.  All this and more! Visit the complete show notes page at http://www.growmilkweedplants.com/37 Host: Brad Grimm Location​: Grow Milkweed Plants HQ Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com  

Water germination of milkweed seeds was introduced to me by Francisco Julich. I recommend following Francisco on Instagram at jardimdeborboletas he is based in Brazil. My understanding of water germination of milkweed seeds was expanded by Dr. Steven Broyles who is a professional on the subject of milkweed. I credit Francisco and Steven with being first to share the water germination method in my blog post Water Germination of Milkweed Seeds. Looking for a simple guide to help you grow milkweed plants from seed? A milkweed seed germination guide is available for download. Cold Moist Stratification is recommended if it is October through March. Water Germination is recommended from April through September.    Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com  

San Juan milkweed   Paco's Reserva de Flora y Fauna The monarch butterfly isn't the only butterfly that uses Asclepias plants as their host. Queen butterflies and Soldier butterflies are a common sight in tropical regions like Mexico and central America. The summer is the slow season for milkweed butterflies in Mexico. Due the the heat and it's drying effect on the milkweed in the area I did not see any milkweed butterflies during my visit. December and January are the rainy season in Mazatlan Mexico. During the wet time of year in the winter months the milkweed that was dry and dormant thru the summer comes back to life and grows with vigor.  SaveSave SaveSave

Show notes in progress.

Three main topics discussed. One Gallon Greenhouse update including forward looking statement for the upcoming growing season. Water Germination of milkweed seeds. The easiest way to go from seed to plant in the fastest time possible. Recap of Milkweed Madness winners and a tease at whats to come in the 4th annual Milkweed Madness free seed giveaway. royalty free music by: Ben Sound at bensound.com

Lynn Rosenblatt, author of MONARCH MAGIC and MONARCH BUDDIES dedicates 20 years to "POM-POM Paradise!" Connecticut teacher and author LYNN ROSENBLATT devoted twenty-five years to teaching energetic and spontaneous first and second grade children. She empowered students through a global teaching approach and welcomed student creativity and spontaneity. Her websites http://www.lynnrosenblattbooks.com/ and MonarchButterflyUSA continue that work. Lynn’s latest book Monarch Buddies: Munch-A-Bunch of Milkweed! is the revival of an original story, “Butterfly Buddies” – the framework for her award winning book MONARCH MAGIC. Follow along as MAX and MAISY and their monarch mentor, Montgomery take the reader through an engaging tale of friendship and discovery. Learn more about Lynn’s other books, videos and music at her author website at www.lynnrosenblattbooks.com Kids are the inspiration. The creative eye of children allows them to see the magic.  MONARCH MAGIC! includes the inspiration and photographs of the children who worked with monarchs in the classroom.  "Children see the MAGIC because they LOOK for it." - Christopher Moore If you are interested in educating and inspiring children then I strongly encourage you pick up a copy of MONARCH MAGIC! and Monarch Buddies.  Connecticut has ten native milkweed species. If you are interested in finding out how many milkweed species are native in your state you can use the Milkweed Map to Locate Native Milkweed. Lynn grows and plants a few beautiful kinds of milkweed. common milkweed swamp milkweed purple milkweed Most milkweeds are perennial flowers that will grow back to provide habitat each summer. Plant it once and enjoy them for decades. Pictured here is swamp milkweed. Milkweed is The "Heart" of the Monarch Life Cycle. Are you interested in seeing a list of nearly all the different milkweeds the grow in North America? Discover milkweeds from Aquatic to Zizotes A-Z of MILKWEED SPECIES   POM~POM Paradise perfectly describes the milkweed field in the summer months when the milkweed plants are in full bloom; showing off their POM~POMs! The bright milkweed umbels (flowers) are like a group of POM~POMs.  For years I have been searching for a description of the habitat that is the nursery where monarchs grow. Fireworks seem pretty close. It's often around the 4th of July that the milkweed blooms seem to display their color explosions. POM~POM Paradise is my new favorite saying for whenever I am surrounded by milkweed in bloom. Monarchs need MILKWEED ACROSS AMERICA and so do we! Tony has an incredible story made possible by a POM~POM Paradise.   Twenty years after Lynn published MONARCH MAGIC! Things came full circle and the beautifully crafted story Monarch Buddies: Munch-A-Bunch of Milkweed! has been published. Follow along as MAX and MAISY and their monarch mentor, Montgomery take the reader through an engaging tale of friendship and discovery. Their story shares their adventures as they munch and crunch milkweed, experience complete metamorphosis, life cycle changes and embark on a quest for survival. With hope in their hearts for a safe tomorrow, they will always remember their joyful days in the milkweed fields, and forever in their hearts they will always be…MONARCH BUDDIES!   Earth Day is April 22, 2018. Lynn likes to plant milkweed as an Earth Day activity. "Do something special to create something for the future. Something to save what we have and something for the future."  The musical score ~ ONE BIG WORLD For ALL of US to Share! ~ is a poignant plea for World Peace and Environmental Habitat Protection for the Monarch Butterfly.    Contact Lynn Rosenblatt directly at USAMonarch24@gmail.com to share your favorite photo of monarch butterflies or milkweed. Look for exciting changes at http://monarchbutterflyusa.com in the coming months! It was an absolute privilege to speak with Lynn! Now is the time to plant the milkweed seed that becomes the POM~POM Paradise of tomorrow. In addition to milkweed being the sole food source of the monarch butterfly caterpillar (Max and Maisy) it is also a flower that provides very high value as a nectar source for bees and other pollinators.    MILKWEED ACROSS AMERICA!   Complete Show Notes at GROWMILKWEEDPLANTS.COM/32 

Register now for Milkweed Madness.  Listen to The Garden Path Podcast with Misti Little. I was a guest on her show. Look for Ep. 3-18: Grow Milkweed Plants | Brad Grimm   Host: Brad Grimm Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com

Anurag Agrawal author of Monarchs and Milkweed speaks to us on the topics that are most interesting to us.  Book title - Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution Grow Milkweed Plants podcast - Season 3 Episode 3 Read the recent blog posts by todays guest. Click on the titles which are links to monarchs and milkweed in Oxaca Mexico and the surrounding area.  Monarchs & Milkweed in Mexico – Pt 1 Posted on January 16, 2018 by Anurag Agrawal Monarchs & Milkweed in Mexico - Pt II Posted on January 28, 2018 by Anurag Agrawal Listen to the sounds of the monarch butterflies by locating Cerro Pelon on the SoundMap provided by Locus Sonus. Be sure to tune in during the daylight hours because that is when the monarchs are active but more important is that the microphone is powered by solar energy and the location only appears on the map when the sun is shining on the monarch butterflies. ​http://locusonus.org/soundmap/051/ View the book which is available from Amazon (press and hold link below) Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution   Host: Brad Grimm Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com

Winter sown. Garden grown. Use milk jugs to grow milkweed plants starting in the winter. Grow Milkweed Plants podcast - Season 3 Episode 2 Step two of winter sowing milkweed seeds in a one gallon greenhouse. My YouTube video link: https://youtu.be/5VMLrbqBauU How many monarch butterflies in the western population? See for yourself at https://www.westernmonarchcount.org Numbers should be released very soon. The 2017 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count runs November 11th - December 3rd and the second annual New Year's Count runs December 30th - January 14th. The November 9th blog by Pacific Grove Museum said the arrival of the monarch butterflies at their location was slower and with lower numbers then in years past. http://www.pgmuseum.org/blog/2017/11/9/slow-monarch-arrival What does that mean for the western population as a whole? Monarch Butterfly Flight Challenge: Monarch Butterfly Fund Issues Technology Design Challenge to Solve Mystery of Monarch Butterfly Migration Inventors invited to participate in $50,000 challenge to create new tracking device. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fhX4d5bxmmB5ISwHhWho5-gGyGoLlxtXm_iqQhGzz88/edit  Milkweed Madness registration is going to open in February. Stay tuned for more information about how to win wonderful prizes thru this free giveaway. If you are interested in donating seeds or milkweed related products as prizes then contact Brad G at growmilkweedplants@gmail.com and use "milkweed swag" as the subject. Host: Brad Grimm Intro Music: sunny - Bensound.com Outro Music: acusticbreeze - Bensound.com

Sorry for the long delay between episodes. I'm back and this episode is full of awesome content that will get you thinking about and growing milkweed plants. Episode timeline... 2:15 NRCS.USDA.GOV link to Regional Pollinator Efforts - Monarch Butterfly NRCS encourages farmers to plant pollinator strips to help the monarch butterfly. Seeds recommended included eight species of native milkweed which would directly make a positive contribution to monarch butterfly habitat. 7:00 Featured news story: Destructive weed threatens U.S. corn fields Seeds received, in some cases, contained the noxious invasive weed called Palmer Amaranth. The plant is resistant to herbicides which translates to increased application of herbicide to curb the plants spread. 11:00 Lets dig a little deeper with a popular news story this summer titled: Why planting milkweed won’t halt monarch butterfly decline by the Washington Post. With the context presenter earlier could increased herbicide use be a problem for the fall migratory monarchs? 11:30 Butterfly counts may be higher this summer based on observations in the northern breeding grounds. Monarch Butterflies Flying High This Year After Recent Declines 14:20 Local milkweed report. Hint, it was a good year! 18:00 The time for action is now. With my help, I will guide you thru the process of growing strong healthy beautiful milkweed plants. Your homework is to collect those one gallon and half-gallon milk jugs (or chocolate milk jugs).  20:00 SAVE YOUR MILK JUGS! Next month we will use the plastic milk jugs as a tool to start growing milkweed plants in November. That's all for right now. As extra credit you can pick out your favorite milkweed. Click on your state, using this tool, to locate milkweed that is native to your area and follow the directions to find native milkweed. "If it's good for the butterflies, it's good for me" -Brad G. host: Brad Grimm Detailed show notes : growmilkweedplants.com/28 growmilkweedplants.com/store

Jewel milkweed. Join me as we go explore the plant in-person. Host: Brad Grimm

Vocabulary word: Phenology Cautionary tale of blindness. Milkweed sap poses a serious health risk to humans. Learn about the risks and how to safely work with milkweed. Milkweed Madness 2017 winners have received their prizes. I'll tell you what the prizes were, who donated some of the prizes and what you can do to make Milkweed Madness even greater in 2018. Monarch butterflies have advanced north and are passing thru southern Maine and have reached Canada, spread out around the great lakes region. Check out the observation by Jaremy in Harpswell, Maine. Book recommendation - The MONARCH: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly by Kylee Baumle. The book is currently sold thru Amazon. Please visit my affiliate link to purchase the book. By using my link to purchase the book, I receive a small portion of your purchase, thank you.  Host: Brad Grimm Show notes will be published at www.growmilkweedplants.com/26

Vocabulary word: DIAPAUSE Milkweed plant donation by Cat R of Green Thumb Gardnes, on Instagran @hbgtg or https://www.instagram.com/hbgtg/ REGISTER NOW FOR MILKWEED MADNESS 2017 (press and hold here for link) or Visit growmilkweedplants.com/milkweedmadness game registration closes on March 12 at midnight.  host: Brad G.

Arizona Milkweed & the Queen Butterfly Arizona has about thirty native milkweed species that are host to both the monarch butterfly and the queen butterfly. On episode 24 I take you to Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area where I see my first Queen butterfly. Locations visited: Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area Desert Botanical Garden Discover butterflies in the desert near Tucson by following Sergio Avila on twitter @savila2015 www.growmilkweedplants.com/24 Host: Brad Grimm

In Australia the Wanderer Butterfly is found on the East coast from Brisbane thru Bundaberg. www.growmilkweedplants.com/23 Host: Brad Grimm Music by Gary Thomas, Breath on the album Didgeridoo

Congratulations to my brothers family on the birth of their new baby Rosemarie Sarah Grimm!  Peaces - Handmade jewelry & adornments with a nature-theme, perfect for wearing your essential oils! How a Quebec company used a weed to create a one-of-a-kind winter coat Support monarchs and the show by ordering milkweeds from Grow Milkweed Plants View the complete Show Notes by pressing and holding here! Host: Brad Grimm

The Biggest Little Butterfly Garden In The World has been raising and releasing the monarch butterfly since 2014. In this episode you will hear: Season start dates Season totals (or totals to date) Biggest single release date of the season Learn about monarch tagging programs Thank you for listening! Host: Brad G.  Follow on social media @growmilkweedplants Visit www.growmilkweedplants.com 

Monarch butterflies in the East are passing the 49º Latitude aka USA/Canada border and beginning the migration South toward Mexico. Learn where they will be in the next month and when they traditionally arrive in Mexico. Tim Wong is saving the California Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly by growing the host plant, California Pipevine. I travel to Golden Gate Park to meet Tim and learn about his amazing mission to preserve a rare butterfly species. Monarchs may be in Newport Beach but its other bugs and birds that we meet as I take a bug walk with my seven year old neice Josephine. Local Milkweed Report shows that the monarch butterfly has visited the butterfly garden. View the complete show notes at www.growmilkweedplants.com/020 Host: Brad G. Publish date 8/20/2016

Connect with Bryan Burks @BSburks who gave me a guided tour of the LA Arboretum @LAarboretum  http://www.arboretum.org Discover more about monarchs via Monarch Arc and read the story by the VC Reporter featuring Juliana Danaus. The story is - The butterfly effect http://www.vcreporter.com/cms/story/detail/the_butterfly_effect/14163/ Featured song Chasing Butterflies by Karoline Host: Brad G Show brought to you by www.growmilkweedplants.com

Brad G. flys to Omaha Nebraska to discover that common milkweed is pretty common.  Links mentioned in the show: THANK YOU RACHEL C. THE "ORIGINAL BUTTERFLY" AKA O.B. THE STORY OF AN ORGANISM: COMMON MILKWEED Raising Butterflies and Moths for Conservation Show Notes are available  at www.growmilkweedplants.com/018 Host: Brad G. Original publish date: 6/20/16

Milkweed at large, seeking out native milkweed in Washoe County, Nevada - 017 View the complete show notes page at www.growmilkweedplants.com/017 Invitation to the Grow Milkweed Plants facebook group Local milkweed report Monarch Passion tee shirt at Teespring.com (Milkweed Planter) Mowing down a monarch and the apology Traveling to Omaha, NE to search for milkweed Outro music by Waylon Jennings, Omaha (affiliate download link) @growmilkweed on twitter growmilkweedplants on instagram Host: Brad G.

1M Monarchs vs. a Mine, MexiRocks, Garden Vandalism & Jewel Milkweed - Episode 016 View complete show notes page: http://www.growmilkweedplants.com/016 Learn about the threat that could deplete the water supply for the Oyamel Fir trees resulting in massive habitat destruction of the habitat that the monarchs overwinter on in Mexico. Learn how to order MexiRocks which directly support the citizens. MexiRocks is an alternative form of "butterfly tourism" that brings the monarch to your home or garden. Read the entire story as published in the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Plants crushed, but not Conway School’s spirit. Community helps revive garden after vandalism" Get up close to a wonderful, but rare, milkweed plant Asclepias cryptoceras that I discuss in great detail. Host: Brad G.

Grow Milkweed Plants Podcast Show notes: www.growmilkweedplants.com/015 Monarch deaths in Mexico on March 11, 2016 Cold moist stratification of milkweed seeds Milkweed Madness 2016 Host: Brad Grimm

Host: Brad Grimm @growmilkweed Content in this episode: Eastern Monarch Population in Mexico 2015/2016 Milkweed Madness seed giveaway If its good for the butterflies, it's good for me. Featured song: The Great Monarch Migration Visit "Milkweed Madness" free seed contest and enter to win! Visit the page that accompanies this podcast episode for expanded notes.

GMP Podcast Episode 013 - "Western Monarch Butterfly Population 2015" >page that accompanies this podcast

GMP Podcast Episode 012 - "Braderfly at the Museum" >page that accompanies this podcast

GMP Podcast Episode 011 - "Pacific Grove Monarchs" >page that accompanies this podcast

If it's good for the butterflies; it's good for me. Visit growmilkweedplants.com to find milkweed native to your area. View the show notes page for this episode by pressing and holding this link: growmilkweedplants.com/010  

August is peak breeding season for monarch butterflies. Milkweed is tall as your head. Caterpillars are chomping away at leaves. Start planning next year's butterly garden today.  Facebook groups mentioned: The Beautiful Monarch Open Group - Admin Holli Webb Hearn Raising Butterflies and Moths for Conservation Closed Group - Admin Mona L. Miller Grow Milkweed Plants Public Group - Admin (me) Brad Grimm  Visit the show notes page for video of the monarch butterfly mentioned at the end of the eppisode.

Podcast brought to you by Brad Grimm at Grow Milkweed Plants Sources for monarch research tags: Monarch Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest This page includes the recovery of monarch tag #4130 that flew from Annabella in CA to Kendra in ID Southwest Monarchs Monarch Watch Tags ($15) To find more information about the rearing cage that I am using to raise a monarch from egg to butterfly visit the Grow Milkweed Plants Resources Page

Monarch butterfly in my own backyard. Marine Monarchs is funded thru generous donation's including a match by Monarch Watch. Have you seen any monarchs this year? Milkweed is growing as the weather warms. Flowers are begining to bloom and the Spring migration of monarchs is reaching the Northern US. Continue the conversation at: http://www.growmilkweedplants.com/007.html

Texas Monarch Migration 2015 Migrating monarchs pass thru Texas in early spring. The Texas milkweed is super important and provides a habitat that allows the monarch to reproduce. If you would like to help this podcast then you can start by planting and growing a milkweed plant. More information is available at my website www.GrowMilkweedPlants.com a link will be available in the show notes. I was tipped off about the swamp milkweed plant by an acquaintance on twitter who goes by @spiderwort52 spelled - s p i d e r w o r t 5 2 Needless to say it was nice to see the additional plant. Low and behold I saw a monarch butterfly scouting out the flowers. A few days later in San Antonio the reverse was true. It was pretty nice to see that the San Antonio River Authority milkweed garden was maintained and even more exciting to see the monarch caterpillar and eggs in a city park environment. I have found pretty good success with following milkweed observations using iNaturalist.org and PlantsMap.com do you grow and sell milkweed in a nursery business? Visit www.GrowMilkweedPlants.com/grower

Episode 005 show notes: Title March Monarch Madness    Links mentioned in this episode: Find Milkweed for monarchs at:  Grow Milkweed Plants website   Marine Monarchs:  facebook.com/marine.monarchs   Monarch Migration data:  learner.org/jnorth/maps/monarch_spring2015.html   The company jet:  Southwest Airlines   On this podcast I will be talking about three main topics. Weather, Marine Monarchs and my upcoming trip to Austin.   Welcome to Grow Milkweed Plants podcast episode five. Today is March 26th 2015 and I am the host Brad Grimm. Thank you for joining me on todays wonderful podcast.   Spring is here, at least thats what our calendar are indicating. Based on a quick look at the 10-day forecast between the monarch biosphere preserve and the U.S. Border weather seems to be favorable for the 2015 spring migration. Winds are north at approximately 8 miles per hour in Mexico and north-northwest at 16 miles per hours in Austin. Longer range forecasted winds are light and variable with predominately north-west to easterly breezes. The temperatures between Rosario and the Monterrey range from 41º to 85º. Its very nice to see that a freeze is not in the forecast. Central to south Texas is slightly cooler but is trending toward warmer weather. Texas has had a bout of storms recently that yielded precipitation. The precipitation seems to be followed by warm weather and that is typical for spring. It should be very good for the milkweed plants that the monarchs will be searching for.    The specific path along the Migration route is not clearly understood but funding is underway for monarch monitoring on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Monarchs may or may not intend on crossing the gulf and monarchs over the gulf could certainly become fatigued on that long flight. Monarchs can be blown into the gulf and monarchs have been seen resting on the oil rigs. Oil rigs may be an oasis for them to rest upon should the wind push them out over the water. One question that this study is looking to answer is at what frequency do the oil rigs host these overseas monarchs. There is a facebook group for the project that is called Marine Monarchs. Updates about funding and their progress will be available on their facebook page. I have no affiliation with the Marine Monarchs project but there is a good chance that I will make a small donation to the program. If you make a donation then Dr. Chip Taylor is matching your donation until half of the $8000 project goal is reach. Chip Taylor is matching up to $4000. But it's not really about the money. The project focuses on providing real time data about the monarchs migration pattern which can be compared to winds and weather to help everyone understand more about the amazing monarch migration.    With Monarch Madness in full swing I am going "all in" with a trip to the great state of Texas! My wife and I are taking the company jet to Austin for the first week of April. Our hope is that the migrating monarchs will be traveling thru Austin at the same time that we are traveling to Austin. Despite the fact that I am setting my expectations very high I have some concern that they may not be there in the numbers that I am expecting. The odds of being there when the peak number of monarchs are traveling thru is about as likely as docking my model Estes rocket with the space station based on a gut feeling about where to point the rocket and when to initiate launch.   I hope I scheduled the right launch time and trajectory for the trip when I booked everything back in November of last year.