Milkweed is the sole food source for monarch caterpillars, and female monarchs lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed plants. Monarch butterfly populations have been declining for decades. Easiest entry to help is plant some in your yard.
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Calotropis gigantea, also known as crown flower or giant milkweed is hard to find in USA. It grows big enough you never have to worry about caterpillars running out of food 👍🏾
Yes best to stay away from big box stores. Where are you located? First thing would be to figure out what varieties are best for you location. Smaller independent nurseries or online stores for seed and google is a great resource to find but let me know your location see if I can help
Using seed from plants growing around you is a good way to go typically. It is best to plant the seeds as early as possible, but make sure that you plant after the last frost. Sow milkweed seeds by scattering them on the soil and then cover with about 1/4” of soil and then keep wet.
I planted 3 different varieties about 4 years ago they are still struggling. If they thrived on dandelions I've got plenty of those and they are doing really well. 😁
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https://www.milkweed4monarchs.org/find-native-milkweed-by-state/