Milkweed hunt is on

There's a treasure hunt of sorts happening right now as people across Ohio search out common milkweed seed pods. The dried hulls will be processed and the seeds used to establish new plantings and create additional habitat for the Monarch butterfly throughout the state in the coming years. Marci Lininger, director of the nonprofit Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative, headquartered in Columbus, said the project collects anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of milkweed pods annually — with each pod containing 200 to 300 seeds. Locally, milkweed seed pods can be dropped off through Nov. 15 at the Hancock Soil and Water Conservation District office, 7868 County Road 140, Suite E. "We get a good response from Soil and Water Conservation Districts in northern Ohio because they see a lot of that monarch migration taking place," Lininger said. In fact, most areas of the state participate in the program, she noted. "It's still a little slow on the uptake in southern Ohio and that's just a difference in the ability for us to get out and educate," she explained. "It's more rural. People are more spread out. It's harder to get that message out there, but every year it gets a little bit better." OPHI was formed in 2015. The following year, the agency initiated a pilot program to collect seed pods in eight central Ohio counties, Lininger said. "We knew with the monarch butterfly being federally petitioned to be endangered that milkweed was going to be a big part of getting that species back to where we wanted it to be as far as the population numbers," she said. The pilot program proved successful and the campaign expanded to all 88 counties in Ohio, including Hancock County, the following year. "Us being us, we're not afraid of a challenge. So we said let's go for it. And we've done a really good job since then," she said, adding that more than half of the state's SWCD's now participate annually. Lininger said milkweed is especially important to the cause because the female Monarch will only lay her eggs on that plant, which can be found throughout Ohio. "And that's the only plant the caterpillars will eat until they go into their chrysalis and become a butterfly," she said. Pods should be collected when they are dry and more yellow, gray or brown in color, and the seeds inside should be brown and not translucent, she said. If the center seam pops with gentle pressure, the pods can be picked. Pods should be collected in paper bags or paper grocery bags, but not plastic bags as it attracts moisture which can allow the pods to mold. Store the bag in a cool, dry area until it can be delivered to a pod collection area. It is also recommended that disposable gloves be worn when picking and handing pods, she said. Lininger said they follow a responsible seed pod collection under U.S. Forest Service Guidance, making sure that they don't take more than what they need. "So we always leave one to three pods on each plant if there's enough so we're not removing the entire seed production from the landscape," she said. "Although milkweed doesn't need to have their pods in order to come back. They're perennial and they also have a tap root in which they grow, so you can still have milkweed come back every year despite having no pods." OPHI volunteers collect pods at each of the participating SWCD offices in November. The pods are then sent to processing facilities which could be a school or a church. Lininger said several prisons also help with the processing. Once removed from the pods, the seeds are returned back to OPHI which has a holding facility at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. From that central hub, a portion of the processed seeds are returned to all of the counties that participated in the collection. "Then they can utilize those seeds in anyway they need to whether it's outreach, whether they're growing a garden, whether helping a land owner - however they see fit," said Lininger. The seed is also available for statewide initiatives conducted by the Ohio Department of Transportation, AEP and Ohio State University, she said, as well as to farmers who want to plant milkweed and Girl Scout troops interested in doing outreach. The agency will also hand out packets of the seeds as gifts. "Really the seed is available for whatever opportunity is out there once we have it back," she said. The agency sometimes has wildflower seeds available as well, added Lininger. Everything is done free of charge. "We accept donations. We're a 501c3, officially nonprofit, and all the donations and everything we get goes right back into conservation," she said. A grant from the Monarch Joint Venture also helps OPHI get more initiatives out on the landscapes in Ohio, she said. For more information on OPHI or the seed pod collection, call 614-416-8993 or visit www.ohiopollinator.org