Looking for some plants and want the opportunity to help others?

The Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary’s annual Spring Plant Sale will be open to the public this weekend.

Hours for the sale are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16 and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17.

Those who are members of the Heard museum can enjoy a special early admittance from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 15. This special privilege is reserved for members only with current memberships. Guests of these members may not be admitted.

For more than 20 years, veteran and novice gardeners alike have anticipated this rare opportunity to purchase plants from a huge selection of native plants, hard-to-find herbs and well-adapted plants. This year, the Heard will provide some of the best plants for North Texas gardens and an opportunity to obtain many rare plants.

This year, the Spring Plant Sale will feature a huge selection of native milkweed plants.

According to Angela Baron, Heard Museum Education Coordinator, making native milkweed available to the public is important to the Heard because, “milkweed is the only food that Monarch caterpillars eat. As female Monarchs migrate, they search for patches of milkweed on which to lay eggs. As more land becomes developed, there is less natural habitat for milkweed. Scientists believe this decline in the availability of wild milkweed is one of the contributing factors to the Monarch population decline.”

Consequently, by purchasing and planting native milkweed, the public can support the Heard, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, while actively participating in reviving the dwindling Monarch butterfly population. The population of this species has decreased by as much as 90% over the last two decades and may soon gain status as an endangered species.

Monarch population declines are symptomatic of environmental problems that also pose risks to food production, natural places, and our own health. Conserving Monarch habitat will benefit many other plants and animals.

The Heard Museum is located at 1 Nature Way in McKinney.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]