These are the few milkweed plants that managed to grow from seed. We got them at Bugfest last year. They are out in the yard now. It is the area pictured on the left. They are puny, but hopefully, they will survive and grow strong over the summer. I need to get the Snowball and Rose of Sharon under control in this area.
<-- Update * 6.23.23 - This was a failed experiment. They did not survive after being transplanted. I have noticed I have more luck sewing native seeds directly into the ground.
Common Milkweed (Asclepias Syricaca L.)
The Indianapolis Zoo handed out some seed packets to help butterflies during an event in 2021. I saved them and put them down in May 2022 last year. They came back this year too!
Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Hirta)
This plant looks different from other Black Eyed Susans I have purchased. The leaves are fuzzier, and the plant itself has more stems and shoots than flowers.
I found some sunflowers in a friend's yard, and I saved the seeds from that plant. You just take the sunflower head off, wait for it to dry, and then take the seeds out and place the seeds in a paper bag and wait for the next year.
This year, we sowed a row of sunflowers for our wildlife, and there are native plants for butterflies interspersed throughout. I also am letting some Poke grow here. Many people don't like having Poke because it is toxic to humans and dogs but, the birds love it and it is free. I do try to keep it out of where my dog is.
We have to protect our butterflies by saving their habitat. Here are a few things I have done that have been almost free for me to try.
