Description
Perhaps best known as the sole source of sustenance for Monarch butterfly caterpillars, the milkweed plant has diverse uses in the natural world. Many other insects depend on it for their habitat. Monarch butterfly numbers have plummeted in recent years as a result of the loss of milkweed habitat. Bring a few (ripe) milkweed pods from your own property or legal collection site to swap (please do not collect from Fresh Pond, it is against Reservation rules), or come to learn and help scatter some milkweed seeds from Fresh Pond in the Kingsley Bioswale. We will provide seed-collecting guidelines and information on planting techniques. Please RSVP to fpr@cambridgema.gov. Meets at Kingsley Park.
Two good sites with instructions on how to harvest milkweed and what ripe pods look like: Monarch Watch and GoGardenGo! Ripe pods will be a grayish brown color, dry, and starting to crack open.