Quite a productive day. Nice pictures. I am hoping to have a similar one today. It is about that time of year. PQ

I've done a fair amount of research on ramps but haven't tried growing them yet. The most knowledgable source I encountered was a man named Glen Facemire in Richwood, WV who runs http://www.rampfarm.com . This is likely the only commercial ramp farm in the world. He sells fresh ramps, starts, and seed for anybody interested. Also, from an above post, you can trust that the ramps shipped fresh from him and his wife arrive in good condition for about $10 a pound which includes shipping. They really need to be prepared soon though but an iced cooler works for a few days (3-4 max). His theory is that seed is the best way to plant ramps.They don't spread by the roots but only by the seed fruit. The ramps must have a good winter freeze but seed still takes a couple years to germinate... it's a very hard seed. He says most people who get a bundle of unwashed ramps and transplant are really just getting baby seed sprouts tangled up in the dirt and roots that often makes people believe the transplant was a success. He does have ramp bulb sets in season (March through April)./ We visited his "farm" which is situated ideally on a steep northern facing hillside. It isn't really a "farm" in any sense... he just scatters collected seed just into the leaf duff and waits 7 years before harvest until after they flower and make hearty seed to replenish the patch. They're really a treat.. but not for everybody! There is also a PBS documentary on ramp festivals called "King of Stink" that is pretty funny and his ramp farm is one of the features in it. Here is a link that might be useful: Ramp Farm & Supply Source

I know this is 2 years too late, but October is the time of year that I transplant ramps. If you transplant them in the fall the plants are dormant and do not suffer from transplant shock. I've never had a transplanted dormant bulb not sprout normally in the spring. I look for the seed heads, harvest the seeds to move to a new area or scatter them uphill from where I have ramps growing to expand the patch. They will germinate over the next year or two, depending on the weather. Gently remove the leaf litter to expose the tops of the bulb clusters. You'll see the pointed tips of bulbs with seed stalks and a few points from bulbs that did not make a seed head this year. Use a trowel or small hoe to dig above the cluster and pry the clump out of the ground. Shake the dirt from the roots and separate the bulbs. I replant the smallest of the bulbs where the cluster was dug up and it will grow back in a couple years. Transplant the bulbs to their new growing spot. I like to space mine around 6 inches apart and cover the tips of the bulbs with an inch of dirt plus 3 or 4 inches of leaf litter, shredded leaves or grass clippings. Do not harvest from your newly transplanted patch in the spring. It's best to wait 2 or 3 years so there will be a mixture of large, mature bulbs and smaller offsets and seedlings in the patch. The dormant bulbs are easily twice the size that they are when they are actively growing and are an excellent addition to any dish you'd add ramps to in the spring.

I'm also concerned about the Monarch, so I plan on harvesting Milkweed seed from home, work and the Research Park/Science Drive area restored prairies and distributing the seed around the country. I don't know where I'll be this time next year (it all depends on this winter) but I plan on planting more Liatris and Milkweed for the Monarchs if I choose to stay here in WI. I plan on starting Rue seed as a perennial host plant for the BST. Martha, Stinging Nettles and White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosa) do quite well in shade. Also, you can try Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata) for the Monarch, although it seems to attract more rabbits here in my garden. (hopefully you have a gun and a bigger dog LOL). Another thing to consider is a butterfly feeder replete c overripe bananas and mangoes.