November 20 , 2014
Bringing Nature Home + Oak Hill Elementary
One of gardening ’s biggest thrills is growing food for friends , like beleaguered Monarch butterfly stroke , here onConoclinium coelestinum .
John Dromgoole select us on a strollthrough the Butterfly Garden atThe Natural Gardenerto explicate why to plant for all seasons .
Is n’t this just gorgeous ? It ’s also handsome with lots of grateful creatures on the firebush , Conoclinium and Mexican bauhinia .
Red Admiral insert into fall - blooming Mexican bauhinia .
In winter , annual pansies , snapdragon and calendulas ( not pictured ) feed bee and butterflies that show up hungry on those warm day we always get . outstanding container imbed too ! Those background pentas may be frozen after this week , so substitute with more moth-eaten atmospheric condition plants .
We ’ve generate to accept some chomping since the little guys have to eat , too ! Here ’s a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar merrily boom on pipevine . The plant will recover and the adult will stick around to nectar and rest more ballock .
Make a mini health club for manful butterflies who like to puddle around and soak up salts in the decay granite we ’ve all got handy .
Bringing Nature Homeauthor Dr. Douglas Tallamy , University of Delaware Professor & Chair of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology , joins Tomto make the essential link between aboriginal plants and wildlife .
Beautifully photographed where Doug ’s personal floor mingle with crystalize ( and sometimes scary ) facts , Bringing Nature Homemakes a powerful statement about the damage we wreak on our future with alien plants , especially invasives .
At the same time , Doug Tallamy encourage us with simple idea , including listing of legion plant and plants by region like winecup , which we can plant now .
Our food crops , like Hibiscus esculentus , support wildlife through their peak . Viewer Picturegoes toGrow Where You ’re PlantedAndrea Fox , ASLA , of organ transplant studio apartment , College Station . Is n’t this wreath a charming way to use okra plant stalks when the harvest is over ?
A ardent weather condition herbaceous plant for next spring : borage , Daphne ’s Plant of the Week . Along with lovely texture , this yearly herb ’s young leave of absence perk up salads and beverages with a cuke taste . well yet , charming lavender flowers bring on the bees to pollinate your summertime craw .
On go , this garden ’s got it all : wildlife plants , pond , hand - made bird home , vegetable and even an orchard . It vocalise like a deal of work , but it ’s really a long ton of fun for its caretakers : the Gardening Club at Oak Hill Elementary .
After school doubly a week , teacher Paul Cumings , former instructor Sue Lagerquist and parent volunteers pass along adventure in food , wildlife home ground and conservation .
This scholarly person documented plant info on his tablet . Great address puppet !
The student really turn thing around with a drought defiant perennial wildlife garden mighty out front .
On a scrappy spot of turf at the bus block , they grok out Bermuda grass for a butterfly garden that fascinates everybody .
Things might slow down a bit on path when the child sleuth a chrysalis on the fencing or butterfly stroke floating among the flowers .
In their pottery class , Gardening Club made piddle dishes to give little critter a drink .
Building doll houses ( 22 of them , for unlike birds ) really made a hit , since what kid does n’t have fun with a cock and rouge ? They ’re hop to leaven money to install web television camera inside to see who shows up .
Gardening Club students voted on the design for the vegetable garden they built . Each semester they renew them with compost and seasonal plants .
With source donations from local nurseries , they ’ve even adventure into new tastes , like arugula .
In their commitment to wildlife habitat , they add native bloom that encourage pollinator to stand by around to facilitate with the squash .
A super important moral the kids are learning : why we grow without pesticides . “ It ’s about as organic as it gets here . You do see lots of bug crunch on vegetables , but it ’s not just for human consumption , we ’re attempt to support the whole ecosystem , ” notes Paul Cumings .
In 2013 , 5th grader Ian McKenna spell and received a assignment as seed money for the Giving Garden to help feed families .
Gardening Club student also find a lot of pride in beautifying their schooling undercoat .
After take in their energetic weeding , I just had to jump in !
Meet them all now aright now !
Thanks for discontinue by . See you next week , Linda
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