Common Milkweed Seed Pod Collection

The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) along with Soil and Water Conservation Districts from across the state are collecting Common Milkweed seed pods from September 1 to October 31. Milkweed is essential to the survival of monarch butterflies in Ohio.

Residents are encouraged to collect pods from established Common Milkweed plants and drop them off at a pod collection station. For residents of Cuyahoga County, pods can be taken to Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District at 3311 Perkins Avenue in Cleveland.

According to Jaimie Johnson, Watershed Coordinator with Cuyahoga SWCD, the collected pods will be sent to prisons to be processed, where the seed is separated from the fluff. Then the Ohio Department of Transportation and OPHI will use the seeds collected for monarch habitat across the state.

“We have been participating in this effort for several years,” says Johnson. “We do get five percent of the seeds back and earlier this year we were able to give out hundreds of packets of seeds to those that want to establish monarch habitat on their own.”

See the flyer for more information, including how to spot Common Milkweed plants, tips on collecting seed pods and drop off instructions.