If you've been on Instagram lately, you've probably seen the ads: give out milkweed seed packets with your Halloween candy and help save the monarchs. Sweet idea. We wanted to know if it actually works for families on the Westside, so we asked an expert.
Halloween packets from saveourmonarchs.org
Olivia Jenkins, Manager of Scientific Programs at Friends of Ballona Wetlands, gave us a pretty clear answer: not those packets, and for most of us near the beach, not milkweed at all.
Here's what she told us.
The short answer
Skip the social media packets. Olivia looked into them. They don't list which species are inside, and the seeds are grown in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. "It seems unlikely they contain the appropriate mix of species for our SoCal region," she said.
Live within 1.5 miles of the coast? Don't plant milkweed. That covers most of Venice, Santa Monica, MDR and Playa Vista.
Plant winter flowers instead. That's what our coastal monarchs actually need right now.
Why no milkweed near the beach?
Western monarchs spend the winter along our coast, roughly October through January. That includes a spot right in the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve. During those months they're supposed to be resting, not breeding.
Milkweed is where monarchs lay their eggs. Plant it near their winter spots and it can trick them into breeding when they should be chilling. The Monarch Joint Venture explains it well if you want the deeper dive.
What they need instead is fuel. "Monarchs overwintering along our coast from October through January desperately need energy from flowers that bloom in late fall, winter, and early spring," Olivia said.
What to plant near the beach
Olivia's top picks for coastal yards:
Coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis)
California goldenrod (Solidago velutina ssp. californica)
Seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus)
California bush sunflower (Encelia californica)
California aster (Symphyotrichum chilense)
Want more options? Friends of Ballona bases its advice on the Xerces Society, the go-to experts on western monarchs. Xerces' recommended pollinator plants for the Southern California coast flag these as monarch nectar plants:
Blooms late fall: coyote brush, California goldenrod, gumplant, Cleveland sage, black sage, blue curls
Blooms winter to spring: bigberry manzanita, toyon, bladderpod, purple sage, Oregon grape, California lilac 'Julia Phelps', California brittlebush (same plant as bush sunflower)
Mix a few from each group and you've got flowers for monarchs most of the year.
Live further inland?
If you're more than 1.5 miles from the coast, milkweed is great. Just make sure it's the right one. Narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) is our regional native.
Not sure if there's another milkweed native to your block? Olivia suggests Calscape. Type in your address and it'll show you what's native to your exact spot.
Got tropical milkweed? Cut it now
You know the one. Orange and red flowers, sold at a lot of big box garden centers. It's not native, and it stays green all winter here, which keeps monarchs breeding when they shouldn't. It also builds up a parasite called OE that can harm them.
Olivia's advice: cut it all the way to the ground now, in October, and keep it cut back through winter. "Better yet, we encourage pulling it out entirely and replacing it with native nectar plants."
Where to buy seeds and plants
Seeds:
Xerces Society Southern California pollinator habitat kits
Theodore Payne Foundation Butterfly Mix or Coastal Mix
Plants:
Calscape lists local nurseries that carry each plant
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy grows natives for local restoration. Order online, or go to their in-person plant sales: 2nd Saturday of the month at George F Canyon Nature Center and 4th Saturday at White Point Nature Center.
The Halloween version
Still want to give out something monarch-y with your candy? Olivia's idea: hand out treats with a little note about why native plants matter for our local pollinators.
Friends of Ballona made a printable Grow Native poster you can use. Heads up, it includes narrowleaf milkweed, so if you're near the beach, the other five plants on it are your move.
Or toss in a packet of Theodore Payne's Coastal Mix. Works for pretty much everyone on the Westside.
Go see it in person
Friends of Ballona volunteer days. Their Grow Native gardening club and habitat restoration days are a great way to get kids' hands in the dirt.
Monarch Manor. A tiny hidden butterfly garden by the Venice canals, on 29th Ave between Pacific Ave and Strongs Dr. Neighbors started it back in 2007, and Voice of the Canals has kept it going since.
Huge thanks to Olivia Jenkins and Friends of Ballona Wetlands for walking us through all of this.
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