Free Milkweed Seeds & contributions for Live Monarch Foundation- Get your milkweed seeds for the Monarch Migration

You just found our 20+ year ongoing thank you for our visitors. Our goal - Help Nature and others in need. Low cost, high quality seed for all and for some in need Free seeds, just cover postage and promise to share with others. The efforts and generosity of our staff and others like you keeps this possible. Thank you for helping us plant and share the wealth of Nature one seed at a time.	You can mail in an envelope or choose a secure online transaction below. Thank you!
Provided through LiveMonarch.com
Hello you wonderful caring people that are taking action to support your local Monarch Butterflies! You are the engine that drives our 21 year ongoing campaign to provide Free Education and the seeds to plant the edible homes for Monarch butterflies across North America. Our small staff of very dedicated people are willing to put in long hours to fill the requests you send in with the best Milkweed seed for your gardens. Please be patient as this tremendous activity was not expected. Yes, we still have seeds and more are on the way from our best suppliers - some of whom are simple families that actually harvested the seeds. Our normal 2 day processing may take an extra week. You still have plenty of time to get seeds to match Nature’s natural timing of milkweed pods opening over the next few months. Seeds can be planted even in cold weather as many milkweed seed types have some dormancy and need the winter cold cycles to be able to germinate. Your many posts on social media are much appreciated. We ask that you direct all new people to this site first, so they can read our message and get the details they really need. Please do not post our PO Box address or give inaccurate information, causing people to waste postage, envelopes or make mistakes like no stamp or return address for the free seed program. This Free seed program relies on small purchases and contributions to be able to break even. Please understand that in order to continue it we must cover the costs somehow. Who should be getting FREE seeds? Our program is intended for Kids, Educators and people that really are having struggles and need a smile that Nature provides. It is not a gift program for your friends that can afford to contribute to the campaign. Please take this to heart. While 15 seeds may be enough you might want to share with neighbors and save them the postage and us the extra effort. Please review the seed pack page to use as gifts. A mountain of incoming mail without postage could end it for everyone so please help us to continue this important community service that covers North America. Yes, Canada we send seeds to you too - the stamp is $1.90 USD. We suggest joining up with a few families. Asclepias is the main name for milkweed, the varieties we have at the moment are… Syriaca, Speciosa, Incarnata, Tuberosa, and limited Fascicularis for CA, we also have regional specific wildflower mixes that have 12-25 types of flowering plants mostly Perennial. We can add extra milkweed to the mixes if requested. If you have a strong opinion of what seed you do or do not want please add a note. Everyone, please take the time to research the best varieties of milkweed for your specific area, US Gov maps below are generally showing where these varieties are currently found. More detailed "Native" maps are on many other sites, review them for new research. If you have seeds to share please contact us. While there are about 80 milkweed varieties in North America many of these are not commercially available and we can not grow them in our region. Please know if you ask us to choose the best variety we will send the most productive we have for the Monarchs. We have drastically limited our use of Tropical milkweed due to the concerns of some researchers… It must be specifically requested and used responsibly as a backup food supply. Please support your local providers and nurseries. They have local knowledge and you can see what is flying around the plants to know what is really productive in your area. While this site needs to be updated regularly it relied on the best information at the time created. We remain focused on the goal of ensuring the continued Annual Migration of the Monarch Butterfly Across North America. Please make informed choices and care for one another. God Bless LMF Staff

SEED GROWING INSTRUCTIONS CLICK HERE

We need your help. Plant Milkweed everywhere!

Send one self addressed, stamped envelope for Milkweed or mixed seeds appropriate for your area to:

Live Monarch - 2022 Seed Campaign

PO BOX 1339

Blairsville, Georgia 30514

- Please note our new address - Please update any postings! -

We welcome you share our website link,
but NOT our PO Box Information Online

Cash or Check payable to "Live Monarch" 40+ seeds per dollar

Please request the type of seed you want. Instructions will be included.

To order online use the secure links below.

ONLINE ORDERS and CONTRIBUTIONS QUICK CHECKOUT

Live Monarch will send 15+ Butterfly Garden seeds including Milkweed and growing instructions FOR FREE even if you can not afford a contribution. This program was started for schools and broke folks that wanted to help and could use some smiles. Just mail us a self addressed stamped envelope, one per household. A save the Monarch contribution is greatly appreciated to help offset the cost of the many seeds we give away, personally plant and plants we provide to schools and share with others by others that can afford to share in the cost. Please know any small contribution helps keep this campaign going. Thank you!

One dollar goes a long way to help Monarchs, and we will send 40+ seeds per dollar as a thank you for most seed types. If you need more seeds, send a larger contribution with your written request. (These same seed packs sell all over the web for $3 - $5 for only a few seeds). We send out several milkweed varieties which can survive the winters at the end of the growing season, and we do our best to send them to appropriate areas. From time to time we may run out of rarer types. We have regional specific seeds to send back to the regions where they were gathered. Please include a small note below if you have a special request. We read every one and do our best to meet your needs. Please share or give if you can so we can provide materials to as many as possible. Please research and then request the type you want with the drop down menus below.

Our Milkweed choices are changing and we are doing our best to provide more Native and regional specific Milkweed and seed blends.

To get seeds faster use the "PAY NOW" button below. Use the drop down menus to choose what you need and include a short clear note if necessary, then click PAY NOW to access the secure online form, where you can submit your information safely. There is a link to bypass the need for PayPal account and use most credit cards.

At different levels of contribution we can offer the items below as thank you gifts. At $3.69 it is 120 seeds and a complete information pack delivered to your door. At $20 we send 800 seeds for your region and a personalized letter. Use the links to request the type of seeds you want or ask us to pick for you. We have redesigned this quick check out to include more options and hope you help us continue to ensure that we all have the FREE education and low cost resources to Save the Monarch Migration. Thank you, LMF STAFF.

You will receive seeds and simple milkweed growing instructions and our heartfelt thanks. There are no butterflies in your return envelope. The information sheet is preprinted for you to keep as a reference sheet and to share the website and the education to help Monarchs and butterflies in every life stage.

Please click the choices below for seeds to plant and you can share a portion of your purchase with others too. With one step you can get seeds and share some with others too. - A perfect combination!

Include a note and say hello. Or give us extra instructions. After clicking Pay Now you can multiply your order and get identical complete packages to share. A super easy awesome gift!

We respect your privacy. We do not send multiple emails or share your information with anyone. Please double check your shipping address carefully.

Please use the "Share part of this purchase" dropdown to send any amount you choose as a contribution and include a note so we can direct it to the purpose you intended. We send a special thank you by snail mail too if funds allow, so make sure your address information is correct. We respect your privacy. We do not send multiple emails or share your information with anyone.

PURCHASE AMOUNT - Click & choose carefully below. 69¢ postage added.

Choose Your Seeds - See Maps Below

Want to contribute part of this purchase to the campaign?

Are you sharing seeds with others locally?

Where should we direct your contribution or gift?

Note for Staff : extra details

How did you find our campaign?

Uses for your contributions include: Milkweed Seeds, Printed Materials, Milkweed Plants, Postage, Envelopes, Educational Outreach, School Programs, Telephone, Web Design, Rent, Tools, Overhead, Electricity, an occasional Pizza for the Staff, or coffee for an all night envelope stuffing session :)

We truly appreciate every penny and it goes towards the campaign. We do not believe in outrageous "compensation" for staff. 90% of what comes in goes back out in the form of seeds and educational materials that directly benefit the Monarch Butterfly and our shared Environment. Thank you for your support.

Want to visit our fancy high rise offices? Well they are located in fantasy land with the winning lottery ticket somebody sent in. In the real world where we actually live… we are just a nice web site, post office box and small room filled with a few hard working dedicated people that think getting people some seeds so they can learn how to grow something valuable for something we care about is a good idea and makes a difference. Thats it! You can do it too, just share your seeds.

WILL WE LOSE THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY?
Unlikely, however, it's migration route may be greatly diminished.

Monarchs need your help! Some certainly do and especially if you want to see them in your own backyard. According to some researchers Monarchs are threatened and still others say their numbers, while historically much lower, are stable. We have only known about their over wintering sites for a little less than 50 years so it is difficult to ring the fire alarm or signal all clear just yet. But we should all be concerned about our environment and the living things dependent upon it. Some researchers are worried we may lose a larger part of the Monarch migration this year due to climate change if action is not taken to protect their milkweed food supplies and protect safe migratory corridors. Is threatened too strong a statement? The debate continues. Do we want future restrictions on backyard milkweed and school projects? Obviously not...

What actions should we take? Some have criticized any intervention. Some research is confusing and some have wonderful studies with lots of evidence. Some have very strong opinions and shout loudly. It is hard to devote the time needed to understand all the arguments? We understand this frustration and are a little slow to make changes due to the complexity.

A little history - In 1991, over 75% of the wintering Monarchs from North America froze to death in Mexico as a result of three days of rain and sub-freezing conditions. This is when the Live Monarch Foundation was formed to ensure Monarchs would fill our skies for future generations. One person decided to take action, plant a seed and inspire others to learn how to do the same. Over the years we have grown to include thousands of individuals just like you that take action to help the Monarchs, creating refuges for them across North America and around the world.

Natural events are not the only challenges that face the Monarch. Widespread pesticide application and genetically modified crops cover important parts of the Monarch's migratory path and serve as killing fields for any Monarchs that pass through these millions of acres of toxins and biological agents that kill them and their young. They are unintended casualties in a war to protect crops. What about actual WAR how much food has this destroyed? Can we do better?Monarchs and their migration show us the fragility and interconnectedness of our world and that the actions of some can have impacts on all of us.

We are all part of the problem through the global effort to harness and control Nature in the search for profit. We must research the origins of all our wants to ensure that the products and organizations we support are a true benefit and not a source of misery to the resources used to create them. Our choice to know the source of our purchases gives us the real power to decide what types of people we support and together control over the manner of production used. Please promote the sharing of information widely, scientists you too, so that we can make informed choices and change the world with every one.

Our call to action used to be. “The Monarch habitat must be protected now to ensure their survival, before we see the day when this miracle of nature is only a memory. Please plant seeds and help to ensure their survival. A Milkweed in every yard! “ Maybe we modify that to - Our environment must be protected so all living creatures can maintain their place and with respect and study we provide for the survival of us all great and small.

You have the power to instantly change the world !

Plant a seed today and change your backyard.

Educate yourself about the effects of your actions.

Take responsibility for your actions.

Plant an idea by sharing your knowledge.

Educate others and ask them to take responsibility for their actions.

Make the decision to think, act, and be responsible for yourself and all you impact.

Choose not to support ideas or actions that harm our environment or others.

You are the most important part of any solution!

SEED UPDATE 2022 - We have a small stockpile of fresh Milkweed seeds right now and thanks to you and the continued sharing of our mission on social media we are sending out many envelopes every day.

When your seeds arrive within 7-14 days, make sure you have exactly what you needed, Please contact us if there are any questions and please share your seeds, this page and our program with others so we can continue to get the word out. We are already ahead of last years pace when we went through 5 million seeds in several months. Through your efforts to share information and materials with others you are the most important part of our campaign and we thank you. Every Monarch that can find a safe milkweed leaf to lay an egg on thanks you. Every caterpillar that has enough Milkweed to eat and a bit of cover from predators thanks you. Every newly emerged Monarch spreading their wings for the first time and seeing our world from above and your backyard that sheltered it, thanks you too.

Thank You for every Tweet, Facebook post, email, conversation, and seed you share with your Friends and Family. This effort is directly responsible for the growing of Millions of new HOMES and FOOD for Millions of Monarchs across North America and around the globe too.

A need for seed - Northern varieties are especially hard to source as we share over 100 pounds every year and can not grow our full supply. If we run out of a variety we will continue to ship the next best milkweed varieties to fill your requests. If you have extra seeds to share please contact us. We are happy to pay for postage and your time if you have a good supply. Thank you in advance for all your help. The seed you plant is the food and shelter for a Monarch Caterpillar. Thank you for planting a Home for them.

Think about that for a moment a two cent investment and a moment to plant a single seed can provide a lifetime of food and shelter for a Monarch Caterpillar and the starting point for a 1500 mile migration. A miracle of Nature right in your back yard and your opportunity for a personal life changing experience with Nature.

Please let everyone know about this site, about how to get milkweed seed, and why it is so important!

Lifecycle Story of a Monarch Butterfly for FREE! Highly recommended. You will learn all about the care of a Monarch from an egg to an adult butterfly. Download all the pictures of your butterfly in its different life stages. This is a very simple and FUN learning experience. Great for small children and adults too.

Would you like to give seed packs to all your friends and family? Click here for our personalized seedpacks

We support local growers and hope you seek out native varieties.

If you can not find a local suplier or resource become one. Share your knowledge, plants and seeds. You are the most important part of our Mission. It all starts in your backyard.




Asclepias-syriaca - also know as common Milkweed this was once the major diet of the Monarchs. A 4' plant with large thick leaves that feed many Monarchs. Will survive winters and a prolific seed producer. We ship this type first until our supplies are exhausted then switch to speciosa for Northern regions. Germination is variable dependent on source. typically <10- 30 days	Asclepias-speciosa - A beautiful plant up to 4' tall with large thick leaves that feed many Monarchs. Will survive winters and a prolific seed producer. The seed we supply are ready to plant no special "stratification" necessary. <14 -30 day germination. Maps are from www.aphis.usda.gov

Attention Educators: We love the hundreds of letters we get from your first grade classes and other students! Keep the letters coming but please remember we have a big expense in seeds and staff time to stuff each of those separate envelopes. We suggest you put all the envelopes or letters into one package and send that to us. You can then donate that postage to the cause instead of wasting postage and many envelopes. This also helps us get the job done faster for everyone. Thank you.

Attention Press: We love the hundreds and sometimes thousands of letters we get from your readers and hope to be an ongoing part of your outreach to your audience. BUT please remember this is a contribution based seed program that relies on the many small purchases in self addressed stamped envelopes that come in to cover the cost to buy and collect seeds, print, pack, open, read, count, answer questions, stuff, seal and all too often include postage on all those requests. We encourage you to send your readers to our site and or this page and make sure they understand our offering is contribution based. We have funds to cover a small percentage of free seed requests but have unfortunately been inundated from time to time with thousands of free requests for materials that have bypassed our web site and are a significant drain on our small staff and limited resources. Trust us, your active audience will definitely contact you if their requests are not filled, please help us keep this program ongoing.

Butterfly Picture Contest: We appreciate the pictures, drawings and letters you send to us and would like to display them on our site. To encourage more artistic creations, we are offering a reward for the best in each age range. Just send in your drawings or butterfly crafts, and you will be entered in our Caterpillar Kit Giveaway. Click here to see some of our thousands of letters and get more information on the contest. Anyone can enter!

AWESOME BUTTERFLY GIFTS AND LARGER DONATIONS ONLINE

Can you afford to do more? Our mission to assist the Monarch butterfly and native animals covers all of North America. Your contributions assist the Live Monarch Foundation to send out many thousands of these Free Seed Packs and Educational materials to children across this continent. It also affords us the opportunity to give back directly to your community in a self-renewing and sustainable way. Any donation over $20 will be eligible to receive a special Monarch thank you gift. At different levels of sponsorship, we can offer the following items or sizable discounts from our online partners and fellow butterfly breeders:

Special Variety Seed Packs for a complete Butterfly Garden.
Mature Living Plants ready to plant in your area to attract Butterflies of all kinds.
Living Monarch Caterpillars and Rearing Kits.
Live Adult Monarchs ready to fly free at your next special event or celebration.

GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE YOU CAN SEE

Community involvement: Monarchs are a miracle everyone should enjoy. We have created a wonderful opportunity for your household, neighborhood, school, place of worship, business, community and even state to make a difference today and ensure the future of our Monarch tomorrow. All it takes is your involvement. The Live Monarch Foundation charter enables them to directly compensate you for your efforts to collect funds. A full 20% of whatever funds you or your group collects can go directly to you and your community. You will directly impact your local area with the creation of natural butterfly preserves through the placement of suitable plants and specially bred caterpillars and butterflies which will continue their life cycle in your preserve as it is established. Imagine what it would be like for you to personally act to bring butterflies back to your community and create a self-sustaining resource for the enjoyment and enrichment of so many in your area. Please click here for examples of programs in action.

You can fix a butterfly's wing! Hospital link Advanced Caterpillar raising information