BEAUTIFY WITH MILKWEED
W orld Wildlife Fund Mexico, in collaboration
with CONANP and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere
Reserve (MBBR), announced the total forest area
occupied by overwintering monarch colonies:
Fourteen colonies were located this past winter season,
with a total area of 6.05 hectares,
that’s a 144% increase from the previous season!
Butterfly milkweed: grows
1-2 feet high with gorgeous
orange flowers that bloom
June-September.
Showy milkweed: Grows
2-3 feet high with spiked
pink blooms larger than most
other milkweed species.
Poke milkweed: More rare
because it does well with part
shade or shade, it grows 3-5
feet tall in cream to white
coloured blooms with slight
purple hints.
White milkweed: Small white
flowers with purplish centres,
crowded into round clusters
like snowballs. Blooms May to
September, grows 1-3 ft. high.
Want to help? Plant milkweed - the
only food Monarch butterflies eat! Here
are some of the most beautiful species
of milkweed to help Monarchs while
beautifying your gardens:
May Night Salvia: With striking
blue and purple spikes growing
up to 3 ft. in height.
Mexican Sunflower: Brilliant and large orange flowers.
One seed can grow dozens of buds, with stems reaching up
to 6’ tall. If you want to attract migrating monarchs, this
one should be on your list.
Butterfly Bush: Spikes of many
small tubular and fragrant flowers;
may grow up to 6’ tall.
Zowie Yellow Flame Zinnias:
It’s an explosion of yellow,
orange-red and fuchsia colours,
growing to about 3 ft. tall.
Enter for your chance to WIN!
A specialty butterfly milkweed seed tin! Tell
us why you just ‘love Monarchs’ and send us your
name & address ~ before Earth Day, April 22nd!
See page 5 for Silver & Gold email and/or mailing address.
1 TIN CONTAINS: Bishop’s flower, butterfly milkweed, showy milkweed, cornflower, siberian wallflower, dwarf
godelie, lance-leaved coreopsis, plains coreopsis, dwarf cosmos, sweet william pinks, purple coneflower, california
poppy, annual gailadia, annual candytuft, gayfeather, sweet alyssum, perennial lupine, and black-eyed susan.
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Lots more online! www.silvergoldmagazine.ca