It's milkweed harvest time

TIFFIN — Seneca Conservation District is collecting milkweed seed pods. Anyone can drop off dried pods at the Seneca County Agricultural Services Center, 3140 S. SR 100, Tiffin. Milkweed seeds form dense clusters in green seed pods. In late summer and early fall, these pods dry out and turn gray or brown. When this happens, or the pods begin to split, the pods can be harvested. Do not collect green pods. They cannot be processed because the seeds within have not matured. The conservation district recommends only 50% of the pods be harvested off each plant, which allows the plant to sow its own seeds for next year's crop. Extra seeds can be distributed to new areas. Paper grocery bags are suggested for collection and pod storage. Place paper bags in the collection bin inside the door off the back parking lot at the Ag Center. Rick Hassinger, SCD wildlife technician, said the bin is usually about three-quarters full by the end of the collection season. The pods full of seeds and "fluff" then are sent to a central collection point and distributed to prisons where inmates separate the seed from the fluffy husk. For use at home, people can separate the seeds from the attached silky fibers. "We are cautiously optimistic regarding population trends with the Monarch," Hassinger said. "Anecdotally, we have heard from local farmers on how the milkweed plant seems to be flourishing in ditches and CRP ground. I am seeing the same trend on milkweeds as I drive through the county and do CRP field checks." CRP is the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program. In recent years, monarch populations have been dwindling due to insufficient habitat attributed to land-use changes and extreme weather events. Monarchs have a life cycle that spans four generations in a single year with the last generation migrating from its northern birthplace in the upper Great Lake states and southern Canada to Mexico where they over-winter. Adults use the nectar of the milkweed and other flowering plants in their diet, and caterpillars feed exclusively on the milkweed plant. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 17 species of milkweed are found in Ohio, and 13 of those are essential host plants for monarch caterpillars. All milkweed provides nectar for adult butterflies. Statewide, the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative is coordinating pod collection through local Soil and Water Conservation District locations such as the local SCD. The Monarch Joint Venture, an organization dedicated to conserving monarchs, provides guidelines for collecting and planting milkweed pods on its website, https://monarchjointventure.org/get-involved/create-habitat-for-monarchs/milkweed-seed-collection. ODNR said pollinators such as monarchs play an integral role in the food web, and their work is essential in maintaining a healthy, adequate food supply in Ohio and beyond. For more information, call Rick Hassinger at 419-447-7073.