Project Milkweed
Country
United States
Region
Multiple, Southeast, Sud-Ouest
Land Use / Land Cover
Catégories multiples, Farm or adjacent
Agency Type
NGO
Target or Affiliated Species or Habitat
Monarques
Publication Type
Website/web hub
Original Language
English
This online resource hub provides a number of resources related to milkweeds, the required host plant for monarch butterflies. According to the website, “[t]he loss of milkweed plants in the monarch’s spring and summer breeding areas across the United States is believed to be a significant factor contributing to the reduced number of monarchs recorded in overwintering sites in California and Mexico.
Agricultural intensification, development of rural lands, and the use of mowing and herbicides to control roadside vegetation have all reduced the abundance of milkweeds in the landscape. To help offset the loss of monarch breeding habitat, the North American Monarch Conservation Plan (published in 2008 by the tri-national Commission for Environmental Cooperation) recommends the planting of regionally appropriate native milkweed species. However, a scarcity of milkweed seed in many regions of the United States has limited opportunities to include the plants in regional restoration efforts. To address this seed shortage, the Xerces Society launched Project Milkweed, with support from the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), a USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant, and private foundations.
In collaboration with the native seed industry, the USDA NRCS Plant Materials Program, and community partners, Xerces is producing new sources of milkweed seed in areas of the monarch’s breeding range where seed has not been reliably available: California, the Great Basin, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida. To further support this effort, the Xerces Society is raising public awareness about milkweeds’ value to monarchs and native pollinators and promoting the inclusion of milkweeds in habitat restoration efforts” (Xerces 2015). Resources available through this program and online resource hub are intended for a public audience, including industry and technical partners, and provide BMPs and guidance for both milkweed production and planting or seeding.
Resources include Milkweed Seed Finder, an online database for sourcing milkweed seeds; a guide to milkweed seed production; regional milkweed brochures; links to USDA NRCS Plant Materials centers; and links to industry partners involved in milkweed production (Xerces 2015).
- Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. 2015. Project Milkweed. xerces.org/milkweed/.