Monarch Watch and our partner nurseries have distributed more than 1 million free milkweeds for monarch butterfly habitat restoration since the program began in 2015. Thank you to our funding sources and everyone who has worked so hard to plant and care for these milkweeds!
The Spring 2027 application is open!
This program focuses on distributing free milkweed plugs for large-scale habitat restoration projects throughout the breeding range of the eastern monarch butterfly population (east of the Rocky Mountains) and the western population in California. The focus is on the main migration routes. Recipients of free milkweeds through this program will only pay shipping and handling fees.
For California, we currently have milkweed seed ecotypes for Northern, Central Valley, Coastal, and Southwestern California. Only projects in these areas will be eligible for free milkweeds.
Regions east of the Rockies that are NOT included in the program at this time are: Canada, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, most of Arkansas and Alabama, portions of North Carolina, and extreme east and west edges of Texas. For the states that are only partially covered, eligibility will be determined in the application process.
Funding Sources
Guidelines
Free milkweeds are for large-scale (2 acres or more, ¼ acre or more in California) native habitat restoration only. Habitat restoration is defined as the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats with native plants. Gardens or landscaped areas do not qualify as restoration sites and are not included in this program. The portion of the property where milkweed will be planted must meet the minimum acreage requirement. Roadsides and trails are acceptable areas. Our recommendation for ideal monarch habitat is planting milkweed in patches of 3-4 plants, 10-13 patches per acre. Applicants must demonstrate that they have a land management plan, and that other nectar sources are either pre-existing or are included in the project. We do not recommend planting large quantities of milkweed in a small area. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide all species listed or all regions listed.
Monarch Watch reserves the right to determine whether an applicant qualifies for free milkweed, based on the parameters of the program.
Recipients will be notified by email from mid-February to mid-March, depending on their location. The award email will include an invoice for shipping and handling charges and links to planting instructions and other resources. Shipping invoices must be paid before we can schedule plants for shipping. Shipping will begin when the plants are mature enough for shipping. Shipping dates are dependent upon many variables but usually begin about mid-April in Texas and California and about early May in all other regions.
Plug Specifications
Milkweed plugs are propagated in one of three types of flats: 32-cell, 50-cell, or 58-cell. The minimum award is four flats (one flat in California). The amount of the award is dependent on funding, supply and demand, and our goal to distribute milkweeds widely across the monarch breeding range. Recipients should consider the time and effort it takes to plant and provide initial care for large numbers of plugs, including watering. Requests for more than 2,000 plants will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Shipping
Recipients will be responsible for shipping and handling costs, which are modest compared to the value of the plants. For most shipments, the minimum of four flats costs $50-$90 to ship via UPS Ground (25-45 cents per plant).
Freight charges for pallets vary by carrier and distance travelled but are usually in line with the UPS rates.
Orders will be shipped UPS Ground on a Monday or Tuesday in order to arrive before the weekend.
Large quantities (2,000+ plants) will be palletized and shipped via freight or on racks in nursery trucks. A dock and pallet jack or forklift will need to be available at the delivery address.
Species Available
Recipients will receive plants grown without the use of chemicals that will harm caterpillars, from seed collected within their ecoregion. The species offered will depend on seed availability and, ultimately, propagation success. The following is a generalized list of species typically available in each region. Monarch Watch only distributes plants that are considered native to the recipient’s location. For example, we would not distribute Asclepias asperula to N.E. Oklahoma, because it is not found there naturally. Asclepias viridis would be appropriate. (This is not a list of all the native milkweeds found in each of those regions.)
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Milkweed)
Asclepias incarnata (Swamp Milkweed)
Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed)
Texas/Oklahoma species:
Asclepias asperula (Antelopehorn Milkweed)
Asclepias viridis (Spider Milkweed)
Asclepias oenotheroides (Zizotes Milkweed)
Midgrass and short grass prairie species:
Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)
California species:
Asclepias fascicularis (Narrowleaf Milkweed)
Asclepias speciosa (Showy Milkweed)
Milkweed Images
Images of most of these species can be found in our Milkweed Profiles
Application
Please read the guidelines above before proceeding to the Free Milkweed for Restoration Projects Application.
Donate
If you wish to donate a monetary amount to Monarch Watch, please visit Donate to Monarch Watch.
Monarch Watch uses donated milkweed seed when possible. If you wish to donate seed collected from wild populations of milkweed, see Seed Collecting and Donating.
