MANSFIELD —  Richland Soil and Water Conservation District is again partnering with the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative to collect common milkweed seed pods to help foster habitats for Monarch butterflies.

Those who wish to help can drop off collected milkweed seed pods until Nov. 8 in the container located outside the Richland SWCD office at 1495 W. Longview Ave. in Mansfield.

Here are a few things to remember when collecting milkweed seed pods:

— Become familiar with common milkweed to avoid harvesting pods from similar plants such as hemp dogbane and swamp milkweed.

— It is best to pick the pods when they are dry, grey or brown.

— If the center seam of the pod pops with gentle pressure, they can be picked.

— Don’t collect pods that are already open, as they might be infested with insects.

— Place collected pods in paper bags or paper grocery sacks. Plastic bags collect unwanted moisture.

— On the bag, please write the date you collected the pods and the county in which you collected them.

— Keep the pods in a cool, dry area until you can deliver them to the Richland SWCD office.

— Only collect from your property or property upon which you have been given permission to go. Do not trespass.

Milkweed is the only host plant for the Monarch butterfly for egg laying and caterpillar rearing. It also serves as a food source for Monarchs, as well as many other pollinator species.

The disappearance of milkweed across the U.S. has contributed to the 80 percent decline of the Eastern Monarch butterfly population over the last 20 years, according to the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative.

Since the project’s inception, Richland County and hundreds of Ohioans have worked together to collect approximately 5,000 gallons of common milkweed seed pods, totaling more than 22 million seeds.

During the winter, seeds from this year’s milkweed seed pod collection will be removed from the pods and returned to the Richland SWCD office in the spring to be distributed for planting. Richland SWCD gave away more than 100 milkweed seed packets with planting instructions this year.

If you have questions about collecting milkweed seed pods or other Richland SWCD programs, please call 419-747-8686 or go to https://richlandswcd.net/.