Friends of Monarchs
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Late fall is the best and easiest time to sow milkweed seeds outside, whether in the ground or in pots. Cover the seeds with 1/4". The rain/snow freeze/thaw process of winter helps to break down the tough shells enabling the seeds to germinate when temperatures warm in the spring.
Mark your seed locations. Watch for signs of sprouting beginning in April through June, depending on location in Utah. The first few monarchs arrive in the state in May, laying eggs that will hatch in June.
QUICK TIP!
Did you get a seed packet with a QR code?
Click the Home button and look for Seed Prep for tips to ensure your seeds thrive.
NOTE: The easiest way to get milkweed started in your yard is to sow seeds outside in late fall - either directly in the garden, or in pots.
2024 Offerings
Free Native Milkweed Seeds mailed October 2023 through March 2024, up to six native species available while supplies last
45-60 minute Saving the Monarchy presentations available for groups small and large (gardening groups, municipalities, neighborhood associations, etc.). Live or Zoom, subject to availability:
Red Butte Garden (in SLC) Spring 2025
Bookmarks (laminated with instructions on how to create your own monarch garden and a list of suggested pollinator plants) available in bulk for school classes
FFA High Schools throughout Utah were invited to participate in growing native milkweed plants to give locally or share with Friends of Monarchs. Sites from Washington to North Logan are participating!
Working with Decker Lake Youth Corrections Facility since 2018 to grow milkweed; available for free at the end of May, subject to availability
6th Annual Photo Contest in 2024!
Utah Friends of Monarchs offers the annual photo contest through our Facebook Group. The first person PER COUNTY to submit a photo of a monarch (butterfly, caterpillar, or egg* wins $50 cash, if they follow the official rules of posting to two other sites. * Egg photos subject to approval by RT.
DATA IS CRITICAL! We need monarch data throughout Utah, and this contest is a fun way to collect where we have healthy breeding habitats, and hence, monarchs!
In 2023, all 29 counties in Utah had winners for the first time!!
EXCELLENT RESOURCES
Southwest Monarch Study
Our Tagging Source
Monarch Watch
Home of the national "Monarch Waystation" Program
Monarch Joint Venture
Excellent resources and webinars
Xerces Society
Utah Pollinator Habitat Program
Western Monarch Advocates
Our Mission
To engage and educate Utahns in conservation of the monarch butterfly. We do this by providing expertise and training, native milkweed seeds and/or seedlings, and leveraging partnerships with other organizations (public and private) to advance the cause of the monarch butterfly and the other pollinators who will benefit from this work.
Utah FOM Official 501c3 status August 31, 2021
Federal ID 87-2412373
Rachel Taylor, Utah Friends of Monarchs, Founder
Monarch Conservation Specialist, Monarch Watch
Board Treasurer, Western Monarch Advocates