Tropical milkweed is one type of milkweed advertised to support monarchs. But it has a complex and likely negative impact on the butterflies.
Natural Resources News
![Hazel in the understory of red pine forest](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Hazel-under-red-pine.jpg?h=46729dd6&itok=dgUYOn3b)
Advice on what to plant in the understory of your backyard woods for the greater Twin Cities metro region.
![Hands holding compost.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/istockphoto-489871228-612x612.jpg?h=48f6e558&itok=6iGaYwvb)
Findings from a 2022 study of compost use in community gardens suggest probably none.
![A man in a blue jacket stoops down to scoop soil from a field.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Soil%20health%20conversations%20image.png?h=fefa8aae&itok=TmNYmrvF)
You can use the Web Soil Survey to help you make more informed land purchase and management decisions.
![Small grey trees with twisted vertical branches against a snowy woodland area.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/willow-ScarletCurls-winter.jpg?h=8120fdbf&itok=EHdFIJjT)
February and March are good months for pruning some of our woody landscape plants.
![Two tan deer in a green wheat field with buildings and a dirt road in the background and a sign in the forefront that says "University of Minnesota Living Laboratory."](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Deer-on-campus.jpg?h=7d00314b&itok=n9DF4HFW)
Reduced wildlife habitat can make even the most skittish animal turn to alternative food and habitat sources - including our home landscapes.
![Extension educator shows a young tree to eight others in a wooded area.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Copy%20of%20IMG_3906.jpg?h=88cac8ce&itok=K7GmOjbM)
Participating in the Minnesota Woodland Steward program will help you create a plan to keep your woods healthy for future generations.
![orange butterfly with brown edges and white spots. It rests upon some goldenrod flowers](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/regal%20fritillary%20by%20Larry%20Reis.jpg?h=2987c0c9&itok=psbq4uI7)
Dakota County is the home base for Sam Talbot, an Extension educator who is helping to reintroduce the prairie violet.
![Northern long-eared bat with white-nose syndrome. Image courtesy USFWS.](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Northern%20long%20eared%20bat%20with%20WNS%20-%20USFWS.jpg?h=77739042&itok=5czQP2Ne)
Woodland owners can help reduce pressures on northern long-eared bat populations as the species faces a rapid population decline from white-nose syndrome.
![climate illustration shows all sorts of heat, flood, dry earth, lighting and rain](/sites/extension.umn.edu/files/styles/crop_featured_image_crop/public/Extreme-Weather-Collage-update.jpg?h=f975ad7e&itok=WKj8umow)
Equipped with communication skills and climate science knowledge, these Extension participants direct efforts toward communities.