Friends of Monarchs

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Free showy milkweed seedlings
available in April

We have about 1000 Asclepias speciosa seedlings available to be picked up at various locations from Logan to St. George. These seedlings were started last fall, grown in 10cm cones, and have overwintered outside - so they are safe to plant as soon as you get them. Locations as follows, more may be added.
Ask for Friends of Monarchs milkweed giveaway!

Cache County: April 29, 9:00 -10:30 am
Cache County Fairgrounds
Bare Root Plant Sale
490 S 500 W, Logan

Salt Lake County: April 26, from 10 am - 1 pm
Tracy Aviary Nature Center at Pia Okwai
City Nature Fest Day
1000 W 3300 S, South Salt Lake

Utah County: April 19, 10 am to Noon
Monarch Park
420 W 380 S, American Fork

Washington County: April 12, 10 am to 2 pm
Ward Residence
654 Latonia Circle, St. George

Weber County: April 9, 3-5 pm
Ogden Nature Center
966 W. 12th Street, Ogden

What's Happening Right NOW?

Starting in March, monarchs are making their way north from Mexico and inland from the California coast to find fresh milkweed seedlings to lay eggs on. Future generations will continue this process of searching out healthy breeding habitats all summer long.
Milkweed tips start poking through the soil as early as the first week of April, depending on your location in Utah. Some don't push through until into May.
Monarchs typically arrive in Utah sometime in May, and stay throughout September and into October. The population is quite small early on. However, every 30 days or so, another wave of monarch eggs hatch, and the tiny caterpillars get busy eating milkweed. Utah has the most robust population of the year in late August and all of September.

SEED REQUESTS

Seed requests will be considered through March 31, 2025. Please email Rachel using the email address at the bottom of this page.

After this date, you can get free milkweed seeds from members of our Facebook group. We have amazing, generous people there who will help! Jump in and post a request.

Late fall is the best and easiest time to sow milkweed seeds outside, whether in the ground or in pots. Cover the seeds with 1/4" soil. The rain/snow freeze/thaw process of winter helps to break down the tough shells enabling the seeds to germinate when temperatures warm in the spring.

Mark your seed locations. Watch for signs of sprouting beginning in April through June, depending on location in Utah. The first few monarchs arrive in the state in May, laying eggs that will hatch in June.

QUICK TIP!

Did you get a seed packet with a QR code?
Click the Home button and look for Seed Prep for tips to ensure your seeds thrive.

Some of our native milkweed species require stratification. Choose one of the three options depending on how many seeds you want to prepare. For example, for just a few seeds, you simply snip the pointy tip off each seed with fingernail clippers! For larger quantities, the 30-day process in the fridge works best.

THE WESTERN MONARCH OVERWINTERING COUNT 2024/2025

As shown in the graph to the right, the most recent count recorded the second lowest number of monarchs in recorded history, with roughly 9,000 monarchs counted at all California overwintering sites.

Natural fluctuations occur from year to year, but the overall trend is not good.

EXCELLENT RESOURCES

Southwest Monarch Study

Our Tagging Source

Monarch Watch

Home of the national "Monarch Waystation" Program

Monarch Joint Venture

Excellent resources and webinars

Xerces Society

Utah Pollinator Habitat Program

Western Monarch Advocates

Our Mission

To engage and educate Utahns in conservation of the monarch butterfly. We do this by providing expertise and training, native milkweed seeds and/or seedlings, and leveraging partnerships with other organizations (public and private) to advance the cause of the monarch butterfly and the other pollinators who will benefit from this work.

Utah FOM Official 501c3 status August 31, 2021
Federal ID 87-2412373

Rachel Taylor, Utah Friends of Monarchs, Founder
Monarch Conservation Specialist, Monarch Watch