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Monarch Waystation Garden Tour – a huge success!

What a great day! We had beautiful weather and ten beautiful Monarch Waystations. 250 people bought tickets, and everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the tour.

I was delighted to see this female monarch in our backyard yesterday nectaring on blazing stars (Liatris) and then laying an egg on our common milkweed. It was almost as though she was saying ‘thank you’!

Monarch nectaring on Blazing Starmonarch-nectaring on-blazing-starI appreciate the efforts of everyone involved, including Beate Popkin, president of the Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones, the board members, the Monarch Waystation Tour committee, and 45 volunteers who made it run so smoothly.

I had fun, and I’ve heard similar feedback from the other garden owners. We appreciated the opportunity to share our gardens with other folks who are genuinely interested in learning more about how to help Monarchs and other pollinators. Thanks to all!

Monarch Waystation Tour this Saturday

Butterfly milkweed
Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is one of the plants blooming in our backyard

I hope you’re planning to join our Wild Ones Monarch Waystation Garden Tour this Saturday.

Susan Durisek-Smith’s article in last Saturday’s Lexington Herald-Leader is a great source of information, and you can read more on the Lexington Wild Ones’ website.

I look forward to sharing our garden. I’ll also have some Cecropia moth caterpillars and, if they cooperate, a Pipevine butterfly or two. Hope you can join us!

 

Garden tour of Lexington Monarch Waystations

Monarch Waystation signMONARCH WAYSTATION GARDEN TOUR
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015 –  10 to 5 – rain or shine
Includes 10 Lexington gardens
Tickets $10 – available at each of the following certified Monarch Waystations

Come and see how these gardeners have incorporated native plants into their landscapes to help Monarchs and other pollinators.

  1. 232 Castlewood Drive (Google map)
  2. Wild Ones’ Pollinator Garden @ Wellington Park (Google map)
  3. 224 Leawood Drive – This is our yard. I hope you’ll stop by to take a look and say hello. (Google map)
  4. St. Michael’s Church, 2025 Bellefonte Drive – please park on Libby Lane (Google map)
  5. 4 Richmond Avenue (Google map)
  6. Cardinal Hill Hospital, 2050 Versailles Road – please enter from Mason Headley Road (Google map)
  7. 124 Idle Hour Drive (Google map)
  8. Klausing Group, 1356 Cahill Drive (Google map)
  9. 571 Mitchell Avenue (Google map)
  10. 1721 Gettysburg Road (Google map)

For tour garden descriptions, visit the Lexington Wild Ones website.

I’d appreciate you sharing this with anyone else who might be interested.

 

Would you like to raise a Cecropia Moth?

For the 4th year, I have Cecropia moth caterpillars (Hyalolphora cecropia). This is a male and female mating early this month. The male is on the left, with larger antennae (click the photo for a larger image). The female proceeded to lay many eggs, and tiny caterpillars have now emerged.

I plan to raise a few of the caterpillars – the rest are available to anyone who’s interested.

Cecropia moths mating
Male and female Cecropia moths mating. The male is on the left, and has larger antennae. Click the image for a larger version.

Continue reading “Would you like to raise a Cecropia Moth?”