Volunteers collect milkweed seeds to help butterflies
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says keep collecting those milkweed pods — the plants help Monarch butterflies.
The agency asked the public last month to collect milkweed pods so the seeds could be harvested and sown along with other native perennials to create “conservation corridors” along highways. With two more weeks to go, more than 100 people have dropped off donations so far, which produced more than 20 pounds of seed.
State and federal agencies, conservation groups and others have been trying to increase the volume of milkweed, which is the exclusive host plant on which Monarch butterflies lay their eggs.
Information about how to collect the pods and where to bring them can be found on the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension website.