Our milkweed efforts will support Pollinator Partnership with their Project Wingspan program; a grassroots, Pollinator Habitat Enhancement Project with Pollinator Partnership sponsored by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation designed to support the imperiled Monarch butterfly, and declining pollinators and insects and in turn, birds by way of enhancing habitat with flowering native plants.  This is a grassroots effort because they rely on volunteers to collect the seed they distribute free of charge to shovel-ready pollinator habitat projects.  

More opportunities for collecting:
Common milkweed is their priority native species to support the Monarch butterfly.  However, they have nearly 30 target native flowering species that teams in Michigan and three other states collect to help supplement and diversify shovel-ready native habitat projects. There is a Seed Collection Team that will collect at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum that will be collecting many of their target species. To join this group please visit the PW Learning Webinars - your gateway to becoming a PW Seed Collection Volunteer and become PW certified in best management practices of native species seed collection.  What you will learn with their 30 minute webinar and in the field will be an awarding, life-long, skill that you can use throughout your life and share with your community.

​This collection is only for Common Milkweed seeds in Washtenaw County from now until November 18th, 2022. 

How to collect and drop-off your milkweed seeds:
1. Before you harvest common milkweed pods, make sure that they are brown or gray in color and that the center seam pops with gentle pressure. Green pods indicate the seeds inside are not mature yet.

2. Once your pods are ready, remove the seeds and place in a paper bag or envelope. Please do not put in a plastic bag.

3. Mark your paper bag or envelope with the address or location of the milkweed seed collected.

3. Bring them to our office (WCCD Office, 705 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103) and drop them in the blue bin (shown in the image to the left) outside our front lobby door.

​Thank you to all our amazing community members who participate in the Milkweed Collection by Washtenaw County Conservation District & Pollinator Partnership, Project Wingspan!

Questions? Please contact our Outreach Coordinator, Dru Mark-Wilson, by calling 734.302.8715 or emailing dru@washtenawcd.org