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Thursday - March 28, 2013

From: Burnet, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources, Butterfly Gardens
Title: Questions about milkweed seeds
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

Dear folks, I am trying to locate Nan Hampton from Los Fresnos, Texas who asked about Asclepias texana seeds and other Asclepias seeds on Dec. 10, 2008. I would like to know if she found any and has some for trade or sale. I would like to grow these, too, esp. the rare varieties. Thank you.

ANSWER:

You are referring to this question from Dec. 10, 2008, I believe. Nan Hampton (me) is not the person who asked the question; instead, I answered the question as one of the Mr. Smarty Plants volunteers. We do not give out contact information for people who ask the questions.

I am very happy you are interested in growing milkweeds. Growing milkweeds is very important since the latest news is that monarch butterfly populations are declining. This decline has been linked to the decreased availability of milkweed plants which has been tied to habitat destruction, the drought and herbicide use in agricultural fields.

The Bring Back the Monarchs campaign was created to restore the dwindling milkweed populations. Producing quantities of native milkweed species seeds is not as easy as one might think, however. On the Texas Butterfly Ranch website an article by Monika Maeckle, Persnickety Texas Milkweeds "May Not Lend Themselves to Mass Seed Production", describes the difficulties encountered by Native American Seed in Junction TX in producing quantities of seeds of two Texas native milkweeds, Asclepias asperula (Spider milkweed) and Asclepias viridiflora (Green milkweed).

Here are sources of milkweed seeds that I found:

Check the Native Seed Network website for their listing of sources for seeds of various Asclepias species.

Native American Seeds in Junction, TX lists seed of Asclepias tuberosa and A. asperula for sale.

Monarch Waystation Program advertises a seed packet for sale with seeds of Asclepias syriaca (Common milkweed), Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed) and Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed) included, as well as nectar plants for adult monarchs.

Additionally, I would again suggest (as recommended in the question you cite) contacting the following sources for milkweed seeds and/or plants:

Sources for Monarch Butterfly Waystation Plants listed on Mother Earth News.

The Native Plant Society of Texas in those areas where the rare Asclepias texana (Texas milkweed) grows (e.g., Big Bend chapter, Austin chapter, Kerrville chapter) to see if they know a source. Since you are in Burnet, you might also try the Highland Lakes Chapter.

Also, check our National Suppliers Directory for seed companies and nurseries near you to contact to see if they have seeds are plants for sale.

Check out this Mr. Smarty Plants question for information about propagating milkweed.

Finally, here is an informative article about Texas' native milkweeds from the Native Plant Society of Texas.