The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is offering free packets of Milkweed seeds for Tennessee residents in an effort to encourage the restoration of the monarch butterfly population in the state.

 
This year, 350,000 packets of Red Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) were available for Tennessee residents starting June 17th for the start of National Pollinator Week. The online form will remain open while supplies last.

According to Mike McClanahan, one of the managers of the project who works with the state's Local Programs & Community Investments Division, "By the end of the week, Tennesseeans had placed 28,713 individual orders for seed material, and roughly one-third of the 350,000 available seed packets had been reserved."

In its eighth year, Project Milkweed seeks to restore the milkweed that serves as the sole source of food and shelter for monarch caterpillars by encouraging residents to plant the flower. Last year, 780,000 seed packets were distributed, and the organization hopes that the excitement will continue.

For more information on Project Milkweed, see: https://tnpollinators.org/milkweed/