From the Rural Campus: Fall is the time to scatter milkweed!

Like other plants native to Minnesota and the upper Midwest, milkweed seeds need to freeze and thaw in order to germinate. Scattering the seed directly on the ground in late fall is an easy way to sow milkweed for next summer.

Did you know that milkweed leaves are the ONLY food a monarch caterpillar can eat? Milkweed is a critical food source for monarch butterflies and has declined significantly in the US since the advent of industrial farming and urban expansion.

You can help re-establish this wonderful pollinator magnet by growing seeds in your neighborhood. Check out a packet of seeds from the Seed Library in the RC today!