Celebrating the ordinary
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.
I recently decided, in spite of the snow and cold, to get out in the backyard to see what I could find. As is so often the case, there was plenty to discover. The ice that formed in the middle of this Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) seedpod reminded me of a crystal jewel.
The berries of the cedar (juniper), wahoo, and winterberries are quite popular with a variety of birds. We didn’t plan for the visibility of the berries when we planted the shrubs, however it’s great fun watching the birds feed while we stay warm indoors.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and this year I have an additional reason to be thankful. In April of this year, Kentucky had 35 certified Monarch Waystations. We now have 95. That’s nearly triple – an impressive increase! This change is largely due to the work of the Lexington Chapter of Wild Ones and The Garden Club of Kentucky.
The count includes private gardens as well as Waystations that have been created at schools, churches and other public places. This is the Waystation at Shaker Village.
