Name: Insectopia Seed Mix
SKU: TOPIA
Price: 23 USD
Availability: InStock

for Medium to Medium-Dry Soils & Full to Partial Sun

A Utopia for predators, parasitoids and pollinators too! We’re proud to offer a seed mix specifically designed to attract native beneficial insects, for the delight of farmers, gardeners and the insect-intrigued. Our Insectopia seed mix was developed through a collaboration with The Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation and boasts a variety of wildflowers and grasses chosen specifically to attract predatory and parasitoid insects, as well as spiders that feed on insect pests. Wildflower species with shallow nectaries, such as Anise Hyssop, Lance-leaf Coreopsis and Golden Alexanders are attractive to hover flies, tachinid flies and gentle, parasitoid wasps, while white flowering species such as Prairie Onion, Rattlesnake Master and Mountain Mint attract parasitoid wasps, predatory beetles and a wide variety of bees. Our Insectopia mix also contains four species of Milkweed that support a range of pollinators, including monarch butterflies, and a trio of bunch-forming grasses that provide refuge for predatory beetles.

This mix is ideal for farmers and gardeners who are looking to utilize the benefits of biodiversity and conservation biocontrol in field perimeters, insectary strips and gardens. It is a perfect complement to a variety of ecological management approaches including organic farming, farmscaping, integrated pest management, or permaculture. Studies, such as those by UC-Berkeley and UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, have shown that parasitism of crop pests increases when native plantings are situated in close proximity to crop fields. In conjunction with a diversity of shallow-nectary flowering species, the presence of bunch grasses provides refuge while increasing reproduction and overwinter success in predatory insects such as beetles, true bugs, hover flies, lacewings and syrphid flies. If you’re a farmer, gardener or insect enthusiast we think you’re going to love this mix. Although some of the native plants in this seed mix have ranges that extend beyond zones 3-7, the majority will do best in this zone range. For more detailed information please see the RANGE MAP for each species. View the complete species list, including % by weight, under COMPONENTS. In relation to this seed mix, we highly suggest the book Farming with Native Beneficial Insects by The Xerces Society.

For seed mixes of 1/8 acre or less, we include a temporary cover crop at no additional charge. ReGreen is a sterile, short-lived perennial wheat hybrid that can be planted spring or fall.

Add a Seed Mix Enhancement for that extra splash of color!

Establishing a native plant community from seed can take 3 years or more - learn more.
All mixes are subject to change without notice depending on availability of species.

Insectopia© Seed Mix by Prairie Moon® Nursery 8.72 lbs per acre \| 98 Seeds per sq/ft (FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)
WILDFLOWERS
Botanical Name (Common Name)	% by wt.
Achillea millefolium (Yarrow)	0.36
Agastache foeniculum (Anise Hyssop)	1.07
Allium stellatum (Prairie Onion)	1.43
Anemone canadensis (Canada Anemone)	0.36
Apocynum cannabinum (Dogbane)	0.36
Asclepias incarnata (Rose Milkweed)	1.07
Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed)	0.90
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)	1.07
Asclepias verticillata (Whorled Milkweed)	0.36
Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge Pea)	11.47
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lance-leaf Coreopsis)	5.55
Coreopsis palmata (Prairie Coreopsis)	0.36
Dalea candida (White Prairie Clover)	2.51
Dalea purpurea (Purple Prairie Clover)	3.22
Drymocallis arguta (Prairie Cinquefoil)	0.72
Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master)	2.87
Euthamia graminifolia (Grass-leaved Goldenrod)	0.18
Helianthus pauciflorus (Showy Sunflower)	0.36
Helianthus helianthoides (Early Sunflower)	3.58
Liatris pycnostachya (Prairie Blazing Star)	1.43
Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia)	0.57
Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)	0.72
Monarda punctata (Spotted Bee Balm)	1.43
Oligoneuron riddellii (Riddell's Goldenrod)	0.72
Parthenium integrifolium (Wild Quinine)	1.79
Pycnanthemum virginianum (Mountain Mint)	1.07
Ratibida pinnata (Yellow Coneflower)	0.72
Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan)	2.15
Scrophularia lanceolata (Early Figwort)	0.72
Solidago speciosa (Showy Goldenrod)	0.54
Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Blue Aster)	0.90
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aromatic Aster)	0.36
Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort)	2.15
Verbena stricta (Hoary Vervain)	1.79
Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's Root)	0.72
Zizia aurea (Golden Alexanders)	4.30
Totals of WILDFLOWERS:	59.87 %

SHRUBS
Botanical Name (Common Name)	% by wt.
Amorpha canescens (Lead Plant)	0.72
Totals of SHRUBS	0.72 %

GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES
Botanical Name (Common Name)	% by wt.
Bouteloua curtipendula (Side-oats Grama)	7.17
Carex brevior (Plains Oval Sedge)	3.58
Elymus canadensis (Canada Wild Rye)	11.47
Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)	15.76
Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)	1.43
Totals of GRASSES, SEDGES & RUSHES:	39.41 %
(FILTER PLANTS IN THIS SEED MIX)
Last updated 10/3/24

7 Questions asked on Insectopia Seed Mix

Christine February 7

Can I plant this mix in the spring in the midwest?

Prairie Moon February 7

If you plant it in the spring, the grasses and a couple of wildflowers will germinate, but most of the wildflowers won’t germinate until the following spring. Since they’ll be set back one year, we recommend keeping up a mowing regimen into the 2nd growing season to aid in their establishment. Please see more information on the pros and cons of different planting times here.

Jason January 18

Hello, I'm interested in planting some of this mixture. I have a RYAN MATAWAY overseeder, would this work for the seed mixture?

Prairie Moon January 18

Thanks for writing, Jason. We have no direct experience with the seeder that you mentioned, but some of its described features make it sound like a potentially good tool for seeding a highly-diverse, native seed mix like our Insectopia mix.

When seeding an area that is one acre or smaller, hand-broadcasting is actually the most uncomplicated, efficient approach. Our downloadable Brochure on this topic has instructions for accomplishing this.

For larger areas, mechanical seeders may be more efficient, but they need to be able to apply different-sized seeds at optimal depths with minimal soil disturbance. We use a Truax Seed Drill because it was designed for native seeds and features different boxes to facilitate distribution of variously-sized seeds at appropriate depths.Remember that very small seeds should be surface-sown while large seeds can be shallowly inserted (about the depth of their own thickness). Avoid standard lawn-grass seeders that are made to distribute only one size of seed.

Alice M May 11

what is the average height of this mix? thanks!

Prairie Moon May 13

Thanks for writing, Alice. Like most of our mixes, the selection of species is diverse, so heights will be mixed once the native-plant community has fully established. A range of 2-5 feet in height might be common, depending on site and seasonal conditions.

Eli August 17

What is the main difference between the Insectopia and Pollinator-Palooza seed mixes? Thanks!

Prairie Moon August 19

Hi Eli. ALL of our native seed mixes are great for native insects, because natives are what they need to complete their life cycle. And, all of our online seed mixes have a very diverse make up of dozens of flowers and grasses, all at a high seeding rate to help you succeed. Specifically on the Insectopia, we worked with the Xerces Society to identify and put emphasis on including plants that tend to attract beneficial, even predatory native insects to aid Farmers and Gardeners in natural pest management. The Pollinator-Palooza seed mix has the emphasis on natives that seem to be really popular with pollinators.

Steve August 17

I am interested in the Insectopia mix (one acre) but have a question about the patridge pea? Looks like it is just under 12% of overall weight of the seed mix. It looks like seed mix is equivalent to 87 seeds per/sq. ft. Can you tell me what partridge pea is per square foot of this particular mix? Thanks!

Prairie Moon August 17

Hi Steve - There is an average of 1 Partridge Pea seed per square foot. Because this seed is rather large and dense, it takes up a large percent of the overall weight of the mix compared to some of the considerably smaller, lighter seed.

I personally love this species; it is incredibly affordable and produces lovely yellow flowers in its first growing season! You could easily add several more ounces of Partridge Pea to the acre of Insectopia for instant pollinator habitat.

Peter March 28

I am wondering about the Canada Rye grass in the mix. I have read that it is an aggressive grass and can even be invasive. Five years ago I planted a wildflower grass mixture with Prairie Dropseed, Side Oats Grama and Little Bluestem and the grasses are dominating some of the areas. I live in Montana just east of the mountains in Zone 3-4. The flowers were successful but over time the grasses were overtaking the flowers more than I wanted. I burn every other year around mid spring when the lawn needs its first mowing. Thanks for you help. Your seed mixes look great. and I am interested in the Insectopia around my garden area.

Prairie Moon March 29

Hi Peter. Although some grasses are aggressive and can take over a planting, we have not found Canada Wild Rye to be one of those species. It will usually come in pretty thick the first few years, often acting like a cover crop, then quickly peters out of a prairie population. For your existing site, you may want to change seasons when doing controlled burns. Spring burns often give the grasses additional benefits, but Fall burns tend to promote more flowering plants.

Stephanie March 15

This is my first time buying a seed mix In The hopes of helping my family’s garden grow stronger. I’m not seeing the germination code on the pack you all sent. Would this pack be germination code C? Thank you!

Prairie Moon March 18

Hi Stephanie. Since our native seed mixes have dozens of species in each mix (flowers and grasses) the germination codes for each will vary greatly. You could have some with Germ Code A (needs no pre-treatment) to some with Code E or F (double dormancy, or 2 years to germinate). For this reason we suggest you don't try to artificially stratify a seed mix; rather, sow the entire mix late-fall, winter, or early-spring and let nature do your stratifying for you. I hope that helps!

Native plant communities provide the inspiration for our seed-mix designs. All our mixes feature high seeding rates and a diverse balance of native species, which, when mature, will provide blossoms throughout the year. No matter what you want from a seed mix, you will need to make sure it fits the soil-moisture holding capacity and sun conditions of your site.

E stablishment of the diverse native-plant communities represented in our seed mixes can take three to five years. The most critical process before planting is preparing the site by removing unwanted species and working to deplete the soil’s weed seed bank. Find detailed site prep, planting and care instructions for our seed mixes through the following links:

ESTABLISHING A NATIVE SEED MIX - 3 YEAR PLAN

PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR HAND SOWING A NATIVE SEED MIX

*PLEASE NOTE: we are a mail order nursery and have no retail facilities, but you may pick up your order if prior arrangements are made. Pick up orders are subject to **MN Sales Tax.

US Shipping & Handling Charges

SEED $100.00 and under: $5.00
Retail SEED orders over $100.00 ship free!

Custom seed mixes or discounted seed sales over $100, add 5% of the total seed cost
(for orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required)

BARE ROOT and POTTED PLANTS $50.00 and under: $9.00
over $50.00: 18% of the total plant cost. (For orders over $1,000 a package signature may be required.)

TOOLS and BOOKS have the shipping fee included in the cost of the product (within the contiguous US).

**We are required to collect state sales tax in certain states. Your state's eligibility and % will be calculated at checkout. MN State Sales Tax of 7.375% is applied for orders picked up at our MN location. Shipping & handling charges are also subject to the sales tax.

Shipping Season

SEED, TOOLS and BOOKS are sent year-round. Most orders ship within 1-3 business days.

BARE ROOT PLANTS are shipped during optimal transplanting time: Spring (April-May) and Fall (Oct). Some ephemeral species are also available for summer shipping. Since our plants are field-grown, Nature sets the schedule each year as to when our season will begin and end. We fill all orders, on a first-come, first-serve basis, to the best of our ability depending on weather conditions beyond our control.

POTTED PLANTS (Trays of 32/38/50 plugs and 3-packs) typically begin shipping early May and go into June; shipping time is heavily dependent on all the species in your order being well-rooted. If winter-spring greenhouse growing conditions are favorable and all species are well-rooted at once, then we ship by order date (first come, first serve). We are a Midwest greenhouse, and due to the challenges of getting all the species in the Mix & Match and Pre-Designed Garden Kits transit-ready at the same time, we typically can't ship before early May. Earlier shipment requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

*We are unable to ship PLANTS (bare root or potted) outside the contiguous US or to CALIFORNIA due to regulations.

Delivery

We ship using USPS, UPS and Spee Dee. UPS and Spee Dee are often used for expediting plant orders; they will not deliver to Post Office Box numbers, so please also include your street address if ordering plants. We send tracking numbers to your email address so please include it when you order.

FOR MORE DETAILED SHIPPING INFORMATION, INCLUDING CANADA SHIPPING RATES (SEED ONLY), PLEASE SEE 'SHIPPING' AT THE FOOTER OF THIS WEBSITE.

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