However, we discovered that common milkweed was extremely hard to find for Spring 2021. Once the pandemic hit, it looked like there was not much hope to find common milkweed locally or on the internet for the spring. We decided to share with Ad Crable our perception that there is hope for the Monarch Butterflies migration. We told him that for it to continue there would have to be a widespread commitment by local folks everywhere planting gardens and fields with milkweed.

Milkweed has been the ONLY plant the monarchs have laid their eggs on for 10 million years. This milkweed has been drastically reduced nationwide due to excessive use of weed killers such as RoundUp. So at the end of the phone interview, Linda finished with a laugh and an offer - “Tell your readers that if they send me a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope), we have common milkweed seeds to share from last year’s garden”.

Ad Crable asked, “What if folks send you envelopes?” We assured him that our little patch that had started from 10 plants would provide a dozen seeds per person. We have had many articles about our monarchs and our efforts to sustain them over the last 25 years, but this article was like the proverbial 2 loaves and 5 fishes. 

Mixed in with our Christmas cards, the letters from you began arriving with bright Christmas stamps! We had our first 3 letters in a couple days. Then right after New Year’s there were 32 letters in our mailbox. By the end of the first week of 2021, there were 81 more requests!

By February 14 (celebration of our love affair with each other and Monarchs) we had 400 letters from many folks all over the country asking for our local (unsprayed/unpoisoned) milkweed seeds. 

We read each one of your precious notes and letters. We enjoyed your hand-colored pictures and photographs.

On Feb. 27th (2 months after our article was published) we opened each of your SASE and sent off our response. We sent a letter answering many of your questions to all 413 of you gentle folks. We filled little plastic baggies with milkweed seeds and a photo of one of our local seed pods.

We included a small photo card showing how to start the common milkweed. Some of you asked for just 5 seeds to start, while others asked for enough safe seeds for an acre of land! 

We smiled at how much you all hoped our little garden would provide common milkweed for folks all over this country. In our letters to you we enclosed our email address, so if you wished to share questions or stories or photos or outcomes, we’d be able to read and be encouraged!



You see, a few months before Christmas I had a full right side stroke. We have now added wheelchair walks down and up the driveway to my 2 ½ hour therapy sessions several times a week. I re-learned to use my right hand to open your letters.

In kindergarten-print I wrote the numbers on your envelopes, and with great limited mobility I counted out the seeds. I took off the fluff and put a dozen or so in each little bag along with the letters my hubby printed out. A loving thanks to my hubby and special thanks for those of you who sent surprise “butterfly bucks” and gifts like extra stamps to share with those who needed!  Your stories and notes inspired me to keep bringing letters home and packing up your SASE! 

Most of the story is yet to be written - I have a long rehab in front of me, but I have your wonderful memories of past fields of butterflies to fill my mind. It has been a love story between 413 strangers and a mom and pop mission and a wonderful orange and black butterfly. It has been an adventure story, a historical novel of a different land with rural settings. It has been a delightful children's story of classroom jars and tanks with butterfly eggs. It has been a vocab list of new words and math equations of hectares, and science discoveries of life 10 million years ago.

In the midst of the pandemic, families and neighbors will be outside this spring tilling soil and planting zinnia seeds for nectaring butterflies of all species. The pandemic has changed much in this year, but human beings still care for nature in loving ways. 

Today my hubby came running back to the house to report - “There are no more seed request letters!” and I smiled and reminded him we don’t get mail on Sundays …

Link to story on Fox 43: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/contests/lancaster-center-provides-people-with-disabilities-camping-memories/521-9bff51a8-91a5-4d0b-9e58-6154d0520d63

*Original post found here. A special thanks to Monarch Malins for allowing us to share their blog with you.