Monarchs and MilkweedMonarch Butterfly populations are in peril
Western Monarchs face a 99% chance of extinction by 2080. In order to help preserve this iconic species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. If the proposal goes through, Monarch Butterflies will receive some much-needed federal protections.
The proposal to list the monarch butterfly, and designate critical habitat, will appear in the Federal Register reading room on Wednesday, December 11. A 90-day comment period will open on December 12, 2024 and close on March 12, 2025.
What can I do to help?
The best way to help is to plant native milkweed, the Monarch caterpillar’s only food source. SAMO Fund’s Monarchs and Milkweed Program has grown over 100,000 native milkweed plants to give away for free to the public, community gardens, and schools. It is an excellent way to help spread native milkweed in your community and all over LA county. You can also help support this program by donating.
You can also make your voice heard by submitting public comments during the 90-day comment period. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is holding two virtual public informational meetings. For information on how to attend and how to submit a public comment, visit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Interested in growing a milkweed garden at your school, business or home?
Check out our Milkweed Growing FAQ
Thanks to a generous, anonymous, donor, we have the opportunity of securing a matching donation of up to $5,000.
Over the last two years, SAMO Fund has
Grown 100,000 native milkweed plants
Engaged 18 diverse youth as employees and student interns to support project components (seed gathering, plant production, habitat enhancement, outreach, and distribution components)
Grown 3 different kinds of milkweed
Provided 5 native plant workshops
Provided 5 outreach events to educate the public on native milkweed and monarch butterflies
Planted 25,000 milkweed plants across 150-acre area at the nursery at Rancho Sierra Vista (RSV)
Donated 30,000 milkweed plants
With your support, we can continue to
Plant 25,000 milkweed plants across 150-acre area at RSV by end of April 2025
Draw up maps of planting sites at RSV
Donate 20,000 plants to communities, schools, and senior gardens
Reach out and develop an understanding of the community’s needs
Clean 10 pounds of harvested native milkweed seed
Provide this native milkweed and monarch symposium again next year
Donate to keep the milkweed growing
2024 Monarchs and Milkweed Symposium
Speaker Time stamps:
00:00:00 Antonio Sanchez (Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Nursery Manager) - introduction and moderator
00:13:00 Sara Cuadra-Vargas (Endangered Species Conservation Biologist and Monarch Overwintering Specialist from Xerces Society) - monarch overwintering, migration, population decline, population surveys
00:44:12 Kayli O'Hara (Milkweed Technician) - different milkweed species, native vs non-native
01:03:23 Greta Varien (Chief Deputy Agricultural Commissioner of Ventura County) - banning tropical milkweed in Ventura, enforcement policies
01:39:44 Antonio Sanchez - how to grow and care for native narrowleaf milkweed
02:18:25 Julia Samaniego (Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing Nursery) - cultural importance and ethnobotanical uses of milkweed
02:45:36 Aurora Anaya (Pollinator Garden enthusiast) - native plant-oriented yards for monarchs
03:12:30 Jimena Jaramillo (Milkweed Technician) - the Milkweed Project over the past 2 years and general SAMO Fund promo for volunteer events and free native plants
Thanks to the support of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the generous donations of Monarch fans like you, SAMO Fund has been able to accomplish great things over the last 2 years and bring this special symposium to you
MISSION MONARCH:
RESTORING SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, ONE PLANT, ONE NEIGHBORHOOD AT A TIME
Milkweed Planting and Care Tips
When should I plant my young milkweed plant?
March-August is an ideal time to plant native milkweed in California. The warmer temperatures and longer days help the young plant become established.
Where should I plant my milkweed?
Native milkweed naturally grows in open grassland. They thrive in full sun or partial sun areas. They need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day but can benefit from some afternoon shade in the summer. Most plants in full sun will flower strongly by year 2, while plants in part shade will have less flowers.
How big does milkweed grow? How far apart should I install the milkweed plant?
Between 3 to 6 feet from each other is a good distance. Narrowleaf milkweed grows approximately 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall so it’s important to give them enough space to grow while also placing them within crawling distance for monarch caterpillars.
Why does my milkweed look like it's dying?
Native milkweed naturally goes ‘to sleep’ during the winter. As the days get shorter, milkweed will lose its leaves and the stems will turn brown and dry. Your plant is still alive underground, make sure you don’t pull it out! At this time, you may place a flag by your plant to easily remember where it is. In the spring, it will regrow once again from its rhizome root system.
Do I have to water my milkweed after it goes dormant?
It depends! If your milkweed is in the ground, it is not necessary if the winter rains are significant. If your milkweed is in pots, you should continue to water once or twice a month during dormancy because containers dry out quicker.
How can I grow milkweed from seed?
Start narrowleaf milkweed seeds late winter through spring for best results. To improve germination rates, you can prepare seeds for planting through cold stratification. To do this, store seeds in moist paper towels in a plastic bag and put them in a refrigerator for 4 weeks. Seeds can easily rot during this process, be sure to provide enough airflow. After cold stratifying, sow your milkweed seeds by scattering 3 at a time on a flat of soil 1/4-1/2 inch apart, and then cover with about 1/4 inch of soil. Place the flat in full sun and cover with thin plastic to maintain soil moisture. Most seeds will germinate in 7-10 days if the flat is kept at 75˚F. Once seedlings emerge, transplant into 2 inch containers before planting in the ground. Success in growing milkweed from seeds is often mixed; SAMO Fund distributes young narrowleaf milkweed that is grown past the seedling stage to increase the odds of successful installation.
How much water does milkweed need?
Since narrowleaf milkweed is native to California, it will not need much water once roots are established. You can water a young plant 2-3 times per week, giving it a total of 2-3 gallons every week. Once your milkweed is established, you can water deeply (2 gallons) once a month between November and March if there is little to no rain. During the dry season, between April and October, established milkweed only needs to be watered deeply twice a month.
When will my milkweed come back?
New milkweed shoots will emerge mid to late spring. Milkweed likes warm weather; once the days get longer and temperatures consistently reach 70˚F, you should see your milkweed emerging from the ground!
What other native plants should I grow with milkweed?
We recommend growing a diversity of native nectar plants alongside your milkweed for year-round blooms. You can also plan your garden around milkweed’s dormancy period (November-March). Use early-flowering natives like currants (Ribes), yarrow (Achillea), and bladderpod (Cleome) to help draw attention away from the empty space where milkweed has gone dormant. A few other narrowleaf milkweed companion plants include black sage (Salvia mellifera), toyon (Heteromeles), elderberry (Sambucus), and coffeeberry (Frangula). These plants like being watered twice a month during the dry season (April-October), which is the perfect watering cycle for local milkweeds as well. You can reference Xerces Society’s list of native pollinator-friendly plants for each region in the United States for more options.
Should I cut my milkweed?
Cutting back your native milkweed is not necessary, but can improve how it looks in your garden. If you’d like to prune your plant, wait until the stems are fully brown and there are no monarch eggs or caterpillars, then cut the plant back to the ground. Mark your plant with a flag to remember where it will reemerge in the spring.
What kind of soil does milkweed need?
Narrowleaf milkweed grows in every county of California so it is very adaptable and can grow in different soil types. Soil amendments are not necessary, but they also won’t harm the plant. You can amend by mixing compost into your native soil.
Can I plant milkweed in pots?
Yes. While it is best to plant in the ground, it is okay to plant in pots. We recommend a 3 to 5 gallon container per plant. Containers dry out quicker and may need to be watered more frequently than in ground. Milkweed also does well in container beds if space is available.
How many milkweed plants should I have?
While there is no exact answer, we recommend having at least 5 milkweed plants, spaced 3 to 6 feet apart from one another. The more plants that you have, the better! Monarch caterpillars have vigorous appetites and can easily devour milkweed plants. Planting enough ensures that caterpillars have enough food because they can travel to nearby plants to find more!
What should I do about the bugs on my milkweed?
It is common to see bugs such as aphids, beetles, and spiders on milkweed. The yellow aphids, or oleander aphids (Aphis nerii), do not harm monarch butterflies or caterpillars directly, so there is no need to spray or attempt to remove the insect. In most cases, the aphids will appear, reproduce, and leave the plant within a few months, leaving very little damage. Black sticky soot is common to find with aphid populations but is almost never harmful to the plants or monarchs. We recommend leaving them alone and allowing beneficial predatory insects to take care of them. You can plant companion plants like native yarrow near your milkweed to attract the beneficial insects that eat oleander aphids. Please do not attempt to remove the aphids, as almost any method used may also harm monarch eggs or caterpillars. The red and black oval bugs, or large milkweed bugs (Oncopeltus fasciatus), are also common. These bugs consume milkweed sap from the seed pods but do little harm to the plant or caterpillars otherwise.
Is milkweed toxic to pets?
Milkweed has a milky latex sap that is toxic to pets and monarch predators. However, harm to pets doesn’t occur often due to its unappealing bitter taste. If your pet is prone to eating your plants, focus on installing native nectar plants instead like California fuchsia, California buckwheat, or sticky monkey-flower.
FAQ
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Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch caterpillar. It is the only plant female monarchs will lay their eggs on and the only plant caterpillars will eat. It is important to plant native milkweed so that the caterpillars are able to fuel themselves during the right time of the year and grow healthy. Milkweed is also a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plant once established.
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Yes, we source milkweed seeds from public lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and grow them in our native plant nursery at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa for distribution to surrounding areas free of charge. When funding is available, we host giveaways and planting events to establish milkweed patches for monarch butterfly waystations in community, school, senior, and home gardens across Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. If you are interested in a future giveaway, follow us on Eventbrite!
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SAMO Fund does not distribute milkweed seeds. You can purchase these directly from a native nursery in your area.
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SAMO Fund’s nursery is open during scheduled volunteer days, which can be found on our Eventbritepage. Visits to the nursery must be registered through these events.
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The Calflora database 20 milkweed species that can be found in California and specifies which are native. Make sure you only plant locally native species. You can click on a species to find out which occurs naturally in your area. The three species that are native to the Santa Monica Mountains are: Asclepias fascicularis (narrowleaf milkweed), Asclepias eriocarpa (woolypod milkweed), and Asclepias californica (California milkweed). Asclepias fascicularis, narrowleaf milkweed, is the most widely available and easy-to-grow variety in California.
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No, this species is known as tropical milkweed and is a non-native plant that harms monarch populations because it does not go dormant in the winter like our native milkweed does. Being evergreen, it confuses the monarchs’ natural migratory behavior. The evergreen foliage also creates a build-up of a parasitic protozoa called OE, or Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. High concentrations of OE lead to reduced body mass and misshapen wings, which impacts their ability to migrate. You should remove it and replace it with a native species. Another popular species, Asclepias tuberosa, is native to the United States, but is NOT native to California. It is important to choose a native variety that grows naturally in your local area. Native varieties go dormant at the proper time of year, which signals monarch butterflies to stop laying eggs and to migrate to overwintering sites.
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While you may feel tempted to captively rear monarch caterpillars indoors to increase survival rates, captive rearing is not necessarily best for the monarch population. Instead, we recommend focusing efforts on providing wild monarch butterflies with enough food to thrive, avoiding pesticides, and taking action to protect their natural habitat. If you are interested in rearing a few monarch caterpillars indoors for educational or community science purposes, please follow the Xerces Society guide for responsible monarch caterpillar indoor rearing.
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Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is a fantastic resource. As an international nonprofit organization, it protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats. Xerces performs yearly counts for the Western Monarch population along the Pacific coast during the overwintering season, occurring October through March. They have a community science volunteer program where participants can monitor monarch overwintering habitats.
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Check out these printable materials to share with your class, or keep for your questions. Both are in English and Spanish
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You can email us at milkweed@samofund.org for further questions not covered by these FAQs.
BECOME A VOLUNTEER OR INTERN
Volunteers and interns are at the heart of all our programs. Whether it’s volunteering one day a year, joining us weekly for seed cleaning, or becoming a restoration intern, the plants and parks can use all the help you have to offer!
WHAT DOES A NATIVE PLANT VOLUNTEER DO?
Volunteers can help us with routine nursery tasks like seed cleaning, plant propagation and native plant potting up. Some volunteers prefer the solitude and technical aspects of seed cleaning, while others enjoy the group camaraderie of planting hundreds of white sage plants into larger containers. A few even get trained to help us with herbarium curation and data keeping. Which of these can you step in to help us with?
WHAT DOES A NATIVE PLANT INTERN DO?
Our interns are put through a unique hands-on training program touching most or all aspects of our native plant nursery and restoration programs. From basic mapping and GIS skills, seed collecting, plant propagation and field restoration, our goal is to introduce interns to a little California botany, native plant horticulture, and ecological restoration all at once.
Volunteering with the SAMOFund native plant nursery is powerful! It helps you use and gain skills in native plant identification, gardening and botany while helping us to grow local plants for restoration and public giveaways!
