We love this time of year. As the days get warmer we enjoying spending more time outside, seeing our favorite plants and insects come alive, and welcoming back migrating birds and Monarch butterflies to our yard. For the past seven years, we have gradually been creating more habitat for bees, birds, and butterflies to our yard by planting more native plants. Every year it gets better and better, and it’s been fun experiencing it all with our son and daughter!
Even though we’ve all been forced to embrace a new normal this Spring, it is still a great time to add and create more habitat for wildlife. By adding even just a few native wildflowers, we can help so many pollinators and birds, while reconnecting with nature at the same time. Plus, with so many of us spending more time at home for the foreseeable future, Spring 2020 is turning into the perfect opportunity for each of us to create more habitat in our gardens and landscapes by planting more native plants!
But here is the big why for me… the Monarchs are coming! As of this writing, the Monarch migration has been paused, due to the recent cold snap, and the leading edge is just to our south, according to Journey North. I have a feeling that as the weather starts to warm up in the next week they will continue their journey and we’ll start to see Monarchs again! However, for many of these Monarchs, their journey is coming to an end. The first Monarchs we see are more than likely the ones that have left their overwintering homes in Mexico to move north and breed. As the frail female Monarchs look to deposit their last eggs they are in need of only one thing… Milkweed. This next generation of Monarchs, as well as all subsequent generations, depend on Milkweed. Milkweed is the only type of plant that Monarch caterpillars will eat, and this is why it’s up to you and me to plant more Milkweed wherever we have space!
We would love to chat with you if you have questions about Milkweed. You can reach out to us by simply clicking the link below. Due to the current stay-at-home order in Kansas, we won’t be able to see our customers at the farmers market and plant sales we had originally scheduled for this Spring. Instead, we are taking orders on our website and we’ll begin delivering orders starting the weekend of April 25. To see what we currently have available and/or to place your own order, please click the link below. We appreciate your support for our small business and sharing us with your friends!
Contact Us – Order Plants
If you live outside the Kansas City area, we would recommend ordering plants online from Prairie Moon and/or Prairie Nursery. We have had great experiences with both in the past and would highly recommend each of them.
Let’s take this Spring and decide to create more space for Monarchs by planting more Milkweed in our outdoor spaces!
– Jay Parsons
Additional Resources
The National Wildlife Federation
Parsons' Gardens 
Hey, Jay!
I just placed an order, but I should tell you that we’re leaving for STL area and won’t have internet today or tomorrow.
And next week, weather cooperating, we’ll need to go to Hopewell to spray dandelion outbreaks and possibly non native thistles.
I need to post pics to FB, but things blooming profusely were Spring Beauties and June Grass. Both woodland and Prairie Violet’s were blooming but not Prairie fawn lilies yet.
Let me know, if you and your family would like an outing to Hopewell. We can figure out a way to distinctly mark areas for your seed collection. Once oriented, you can go back whenever you want. The KCWildlands and JoCoParks and Rec crew/s have already marked some and will go again sometime next week.
It should be easy to practice social distancing on prairie acreage!
I’ll talk to you in a couple of days? Whatever works for you all! Jackie
Sent from my iPad
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