Common Milkweed Request Form
Scroll down to complete the 2024-2025 seed request form.
This seed is intended for individuals or groups doing large-scale restorations on restoration-ready land (5 acres or more).
You can make a big difference for monarchs in Wisconsin! By planting milkweed species, you provide the ONLY group of plants that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on and the hatching caterpillars eat. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s Goose Pond Sanctuary has an annual goal to collect at least 100 pounds PLS (pure live seed) of common milkweed seeds - and we want to spread that wealth!
Common milkweed, photo by Brenna Marsicek
Common milkweed seed available at no cost!
SoWBA and the Wisconsin Monarch Collaborative are working together to distribute the milkweed seed to Wisconsinites who are working on large restoration or native plantings that would like to incorporate common milkweed seed into their mix. The seed is available at no cost to the recipient (a $120/pound value, free to you!), and can be mailed to anywhere in Wisconsin. If you would like to make an optional donation to support this effort, please do so here and put in the comments “milkweed seed.”
This seed is intended for individuals or groups doing larger-scale restorations (5 acres or more) on restoration-ready land, not necessarily homeowners.
When to request seed?
We recommend you order as soon as possible for 2024 and spring 2025. Available while supplies last. The best times to plant milkweed seeds are in fall or winter. Milkweed seeds require about 60 days of cold and moist conditions to activate their germination.
What do we mean by restoration-ready?
Restoration-ready land has recently been burned or cultivated and is ready for planting; bare soil is available for seeds to germinate. You likely still qualify if there is significant bare soil for any reason. If you are unsure if you qualify, contact Graham Steinhauer, Goose Pond Sanctuary Land Steward, at gsteinhauer@swibirds.org.
How much seed can you get?
The amount you will receive is based on two factors: 1) the acreage you are planting and 2) whether or not the restoration-ready plot is under contract.
Your planting must be a minimum of five acres. You will be provided one ounce of pure live seed per acre per acre of common milkweed seed unless you are enrolled in a conservation program like Conservation Reserve Program. In that case, you will receive whatever the contract requires (usually 5 oz/acre — Let us know in the comments if your contract requirement is different than 5 oz per acre).
We have a lot of seed, and will distribute until it’s gone!
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact Mark Martin, SoWBA’s Goose Pond Sanctuary resident co-manager, at goosep@swibirds.org or Brenna Marsicek, director of outreach, at bmarsicek@swibirds.org.
Milkweed Seed Request Form
Want to go a step further?
Distribution of milkweed seed is free, but your voluntary donation will help support our important work and enable us to continue this important restoration work. If you are interested and able to make a donation, you can do so here — put “milkweed seed” in the comments.
Header photo by Emily Meier.
