Judith & Monarch Butterflies

Hello All,
I have been raising Monarch Butterflies since I first met Richard in 2000. Richard is a biologist who studies Monarch Butterflies from the inside out. I am an artist entranced by their beauty. When Richard showed me an MRI of a Monarch pupa,I began painting butterflies and very shortly I began raising them. We have many butterfly gardens, raising as much milkweed as possible because the monarch food supply is steadily dwindling due to environment hazards.

I have several tents where I raise the monarchs; one for mating adults, one for caterpillars and one for chrysalis.

I started stratifying milkweeds seeds yesterday motivated by the approaching winter snow storm. I used the seeds Dick Brown graciously sent me, including some rare green milkweed seeds. To stratify the seeds you need to place them in wet sand in a cold place for at least 60 days,then transfer then to small pots containing soil that holds moisture well, but not rot the seeds. I have done the refrigerator method, but this year I am putting them in my unheated art studio in the barn where they will be kept cold.

This year I am also stratifying some of my own seeds by placing soil in the pots, then covering the soil with a layer of wet sand.
I have also had good luck just throwing the seeds in my gardens after the season-some take and all you need is for them to take the first year. After that they propigate on their own.

I plan to use this blog to report on the seeds, as well as the monarchs this season. Please post any information you have. Happy Butterflying. They will be here soon. Judith