Hello and thank you for your interest in our 21 YEAR ongoing Seed campaign.
The format of this campaign will change in 2023 to better control the level of work for our limited staff and ensure the wait times are reasonable. We really care about getting you the best seeds we can. Without pre planning and having seeds on hand and extra staff we struggled to get the avalanche of mail processed and back out quickly. Our normal extra information sheets were not available for many and we hope to be better prepared for the next wave of interest. Please check back with our site to check on the new requirements to get Free seeds in 2023 before you send in an envelope. Thank you for your participation.
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! Please read tips below.
Some tips for success with this mail in program, and some common mistakes:
- Our staff struggles with very old already sealed envelopes.
- We really need your return address.
- We really need a stamp to get it back to you.
- Please put stamp on right top corner.
- We can add the return address top left corner if you do not.
Do not add it to back of envelope - Postal machines get angry.
- Add a note if you want a specific type of seed or are sending in a payment.
- Sending a gift for the campaign?
- Please add a clear note so we understand what your wishes are.
- Example - Check with note says contribution send seeds. How many?
- Penmanship - if we can not read it the post office machines probably can not.
- We love the letters from kids.. but if they do not get their envelope back :(
Want a little more information? Click this link https://www.livemonarch.com/extra
Thank you,
LMF Staff
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 $5.90 it is 150 seeds and a complete information pack delivered to your door.
At $20.90 we send 600 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.
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
2024 -
We have a good 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 more than 1,000 envelopes every day.
When your seeds arrive, make sure you have exactly what you needed.
Please contact us with one email or a phone call 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 far 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.
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!
