We are thrilled to announce the mailing of native milkweed seeds to SC residents, thus completing the 2024 Milkweed for Monarchs Project! We are grateful to Comporium for sponsoring this year’s project. This project was a huge success due to the statewide support of South Carolina residents and the dedicated volunteers who gave their time and expertise to hand-mix seeds and prepare each packet for mailing.
This is the ninth year that the SC Wildlife Federation (SCWF) has completed this project, which is vital for the survival of monarch butterflies. Over the past twenty years, there has been a sharp decline in the monarch butterfly population along their normal migration routes from Canada to Mexico. In fact, these important pollinators have dwindled by almost 97 percent. Native milkweed plants, however, are the key to helping these beautiful butterflies continue to thrive in North America.
Image Credit: This image shows a monarch caterpillar and the three native milkweed varieties included in the seed packet.
SCWF was able to assist in increasing crucial habitat for our fluttering friends by distributing thousands of packets throughout the state! Native milkweed seed varieties were purchased in bulk from Ernst Conservation Seeds, then packaged and shipped by SCWF staff and generous volunteers. These seed packets were paired with informational cards that SCWF created for recipients to learn how to successfully raise the plants, how essential the plant is to the monarch species, and additional steps to take to certify their yards as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Read more about how to certify your yard on our habitat page, or contact Savannah Jordan at savannah@scwf.org.
Thank you to the many volunteers who helped with this project, especially Barb & Jimmy Watson and Tami Kyre.
Image Caption: Volunteers assisting with the Milkweed for Monarchs project.
One of our favorite parts of this project is when milkweed recipients send us photos of their milkweed to be featured on our social media. You can email us your photos at mail@scwf.org.
Image Captions: These beautiful photos are from milkweed seed recipient Amy Bryan. The first photo was taken on Sep 29, 2023, and she saw her first butterfly on October 16, 2023.
We are grateful to Comporium for their sponsorship of this project! Their generosity allows us to send these packets to SC residents completely free of charge. If you or your company are interested in sponsoring this program in 2025, please contact Angi Fuller Wildt at angi@scwf.org or 803-256-0670, or use the donate button to make your gift in support of this program.
Banner Image Credit: Monarch by BeBe Dalton Harrison.