Joe Brown horticulture Coordinator for the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster plants milkweed seeds which is a preferred host for the monarch butterfly. The monarchs have been shrinking in numbers and so gardeners are encouraged to plant more milkweed.

WESTMINSTER, CO - DECEMBER 19: Joe Brown horticulture coordinator for the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster holds milkweed seeds which is a preferred host for the monarch butterfly. These seeds are for the Gay Butterfly milkweed, asclepias tuberosa. The monarchs have been shrinking in numbers and so gardeners are encouraged to plant more milkweed. Brown was working in the greenhouse for the city of Westminster on Friday, December 19, 2014. Brown said milkweed gets a a bad rap. "Everyone thinks that the word weed has a negative connotation. This plant is beautiful and environmentally significant." Brown also said it does well in a xeric landscape setting. (Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images )