Volunteers with Seedy Sudbury and the Greater Sudbury Pollinator Project have collected a huge amount of milkweed seeds, and they’re giving it away for free.
“Now is easiest to plant milkweed – you can literally sprinkle it on the ground and at least some will come up,” said Rachelle Rocha, one of the organizers.
“Milkweed is one of those seeds that needs cold stratification, which happens naturally when seeds spend the winter under snow.”
The seeds are available at Seasons Pharmacy & Culinaria at 815 Lorne Street during the business’s regular hours.
Carrie Regenstreif worked with the Sudbury Pollinator Project to give away milkweed seeds last spring, which discovered that demand for the seeds was much, much higher than expected and volunteers scrambled to prepare more seeds.
“The seeds need to spend about six weeks at below freezing temperatures, so if you’re giving out the seeds in spring, it needs to be prepared,” Regenstreif said, adding that’s why they decided fall would be best for another giveaway. “This time we collected a huge amount, so come and get some!”
She explains that intensive agriculture and other rural land development has led to a loss of milkweed across monarch butterfly breeding areas and is believed to be contributing to their reduced numbers.
Milkweed acts as a host plant during the caterpillar stage of the monarch butterfly and can help rebuild dwindling populations.
The Greater Sudbury Pollinator Garden Project began last year with the aim of encouraging Sudburians to plant gardens to support butterflies and other pollinator species. More information can be found online here.
Seedy Sudbury is organizing a seed exchange event on February 26, 2023 and can be found on Facebook and Instagram @SeedySudbury.
