Congratulations cAROL!!! That is SO exciting!! I'm happy your milkweed is blooming and hope you get lots of butterflies in your garden. I've been adding plants the butterflies & hummingbirds love to my flowerbeds the past several years. I sure got a jump on it this year with all the WS perennials I grew.
Milkweed grows here on the hill behind the breezeway where my mother encouraged it as a host plant for the monarch butterfly caterpillars.
I have never heard or read anything about the seasalt sand. I have read that butterflies can't drink from a birdbath and the experts suggest you keep a shallow puddle of water surrounded by sand where they can drink. I'll see what I can dig up for information and email it to you.
Happy gardening!!!
Eileen

Thank you Eileen,
I need all the help I can get.
Yes, it is very exciting,to thoses who posted the pictures,all I can say, is WOW!
The way you captured the small flower to look so perfect,is beyond me, now thatI see what the flower looks like,your picture is truly amazing.
When will it go to seed,and will I know it?
Oh, I think it has that soft feathery wind blown seed,right?
cAROL

Yes, cAROL, you'll know the seeds. The pods are long and stick up. They can take a while to mature, then they burst in a mess of cottony fluff. To avoid having them blow away, you can put something over them, like the foot of pantyhose, and tie in place. That usually keeps the milkweed bugs off, too. Here's a pod, complete with MW bugs.

{{gwi:417126}}

Karen

Love the feeling of excitement you bring to us Carol. :O)

I've never heard of the seasalt sand, but you might like to ask at the Butterfly Forum. My guess is that some sand without the salt would be better but then again I might be wrong.

To get the seeds I always watch the pods and when they start to open and are brown on the outside, that's when I gather them.

Mine doesn't have any pods yet. I have seen other milkweeds in the area are in full bloom now. Is it because my milkweed doesn't get enough sunlight?

Congrats Carol! :)

Neil, Mine are just setting their flowers now and it will be a while before we get seed pods. Usually they are two weeks later than this in their performance.

How much sunlight do your's get?

It's being covered by not so thick Purple Sandcherry tree during afternoon and some shades from a little tall and thick bachelor's buttons. So I guess, it only gets good sunlight for 2-3 hours and some are indirect.

Thanks Tiffy, Yes, I guess I do get really excited when something I started froma humble seed, actually grows for me, you would think I was the maker,ha ha
A lot of what I planted last year is starting to bloom for me,it is so rewarding to see this happen isin't it.

The deer like it also, I will have to transplant all my lilies, they ate them up, and I had such pretty ones coming into bloom,oh well, I guess they know a good thing when they see one,same as we do eh.

I did not know there was a butterfly forum, I will surly check it out,and ask about the sea sand.Thank you.

Gotta go make a couple of pies, kids are coming over tomorrow for a cook out.yum,yum.
cAROL