Sat. we went to Lawrence, KS to the Monarch Open House and Plant Sale on the KU campus. We have been interested in this organization for several years now. We have reared Monarchs and Swallowtails in our garden as some of you have seen our photos.
The organization studies and promotes the conservation of monarchs and other butterflies and moths.
As part of their conservation, they tag monarchs to study their migration paths. This lady, Janis, was on video cam and I visited with her, it was strange to visited over the computer. She lives in Brownsville, TX and goes to Mexico in the winter to count the tagged Monarchs that have made it to their migratory home there.
I registered to be a Monarch Waystation a couple of years ago. If you are interested to learn more about this Monarch organization go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/.
We bought several different kinds of milkweed to try this year in our butterfly garden. Our list of new plants include: rue (not a milkweed but a favorite food of swallowtails), Tropical milkweed, Balloonplant milkweed, Purple milkweed, Whorled milkweed and Vervain (a nectar plant). We have also bought Asclepia tuberosa (milkweed), another Butterfly bush, fennel for the swallowtails, and Lantana. The local garden club had a plant sale and we bought a flat of Zinnias for a dollar, butterflies like them for their nectar. So our butterfly garden is set, just need some good weather to set it all out. Our common milkweed is returning on it's own quite well, our neighbors probably think we are crazy for growing a weed, but their blossoms smell so sweet as well as being a favorite food of the Monarchs.
As part of their conservation, they tag monarchs to study their migration paths. This lady, Janis, was on video cam and I visited with her, it was strange to visited over the computer. She lives in Brownsville, TX and goes to Mexico in the winter to count the tagged Monarchs that have made it to their migratory home there.
I registered to be a Monarch Waystation a couple of years ago. If you are interested to learn more about this Monarch organization go to http://www.monarchwatch.org/.
We bought several different kinds of milkweed to try this year in our butterfly garden. Our list of new plants include: rue (not a milkweed but a favorite food of swallowtails), Tropical milkweed, Balloonplant milkweed, Purple milkweed, Whorled milkweed and Vervain (a nectar plant). We have also bought Asclepia tuberosa (milkweed), another Butterfly bush, fennel for the swallowtails, and Lantana. The local garden club had a plant sale and we bought a flat of Zinnias for a dollar, butterflies like them for their nectar. So our butterfly garden is set, just need some good weather to set it all out. Our common milkweed is returning on it's own quite well, our neighbors probably think we are crazy for growing a weed, but their blossoms smell so sweet as well as being a favorite food of the Monarchs.Let us savor the fleeting delights of our most beautiful days! Alphonse de Lamartine
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