I was surprised and quite pleased recently to find the first blooms of the year. There were a few small crocus flowers in our backyard, and this yellow one especially caught my eye.
Category: Critters
“Monarchs and more” presentations
It still feels and looks like winter, but birds have been singing and I’m confident spring is on the way. It will be time for planting before we know it. Depending on what we plant, we can help monarchs and other backyard wildlife.
In particular, milkweeds attract monarchs, and other butterflies and pollinators. These are the ones I grow in my garden, and I’ve found monarch caterpillars on all of them.
Milkweed seeds
I have milkweed plants because they are essential to the survival of monarch butterflies, and I recently had fun trying to capture images of the seeds. Isn’t this arrangement a great example of beautiful and efficient packaging?
Unique chance to hear about monarchs
A recent New York Times article and blog post indicate monarch butterfly numbers continue to dwindle. Dr. Chip Taylor, founder and director of Monarch Watch, will be in Lexington to speak about the latest news and how we can help.
What: “Monarch Conservation: Challenges and Opportunities”
When: February 12, 2014 at 7 p.m.
Where: Gluck Equine Center Auditorium,1400 Nicholasville Road, Lexington, KY
Cost: $5; free to Friends of the Arboretum, Wild Ones members, and Garden Club of Kentucky members
This talk is sponsored by the Lexington Arboretum, Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones, and the Garden Club of Kentucky. I’m looking forward to it, and if you live nearby I hope you’ll join us.
Birds and snow – fun videos
Our cold, snowy weather continued this past weekend, and I was glad to watch our birds from indoors. I decided to try the video feature on my camera, and was pleasantly surprised with the results. My son (and webmaster) then uploaded the videos to YouTube. This one gives you a good idea of the weather and the challenge for our feathered friends.
Note: click the bottom-right corner of the video to display it in full screen mode. Press the “Esc” key to exit full screen mode.