Planting for Butterflies

I have said, many times, one of my apprehensions about launching into the Full Time RV Lifestyle was giving up my yard and gardens. Gardening has long been a preferred method of therapy and I get great joy and satisfaction doing yard work and planting gardens that both feed me and make my surroundings pretty.  Our lifestyle decision has not only allowed me opportunity to continue to get my hands in the dirt, it has actually opened the door to even more opportunity than I had as a homeowner.  Who have thunk it?

My latest gardening adventure is adopting a bed in the Saylorville Butterfly

[caption id="attachment_285" align="alignright" width="300"] Entrance to the Gardens[/caption]

Garden. I have always known it was here but never fully understood the scope of the project, it's mission or how many people it takes to make this little corner of  Saylorville Lake the butterfly paradise that it is. A couple of other ladies who also live in volunteer village  this summer also adopted beds so it has become another way to get to know my volunteer companions and engage in a activity that we all enjoy.

The gardens boast over 30 beds that hold varieties of flowers both perennial and annual as well as herb gardens. I'm learning very quickly about the difference between host plants for the caterpillers and nectar plants for the butterflies to pollinate.

[caption id="attachment_284" align="alignnone" width="300"] Blank canvas[/caption]

The best part so far has been getting to take an empty garden and design it the way I wanted to. The ranger gave me a list of recommended plants and I let my imagination take over from there.  I adopted a large triangle shaped bed in the middle. The only thing growing in it was some chive and some sunflower volunteers coming up around the chive. I went out early one morning as the sun was starting to get high in the sky and got inspired to do an entire bed in yellow and orange like a sunrise or sunset since the location of the bed will be bathed in both early morning and late evening sunlight.

Volunteering to garden here is like having a fairy god mother for the garden.  I turned in my plant order and the plants arrived a day later ready to plant. I think Champ appreciates that I am satisfying my gardening itch without the long list of charges on my Discover bill that normally accompany this time of year.  There is also a watering fairy in the form of an irrigation system. All I have to do after planting is keep it weeded and looking nice.  I know that sounds horrible to some, but I really like the work.

This morning the sun came up, it started out about 50 degrees with no wind. I took my I-pod and blue tooth speaker to the gardens and went to work planting my bed. I can't think of a better way to spend a morning.  I set Tangerine and Yellow Primrose varieties of Marigolds, Lantana, Cosmos, Black Eyed Susan's . I also sprinkled a couple of Rosemary and Fennel plants to give some nice fragrance to go with the splash of yellow and orange.

[caption id="attachment_286" align="alignnone" width="300"] Just planted[/caption]

One of the things in Texas that was really amazing to me was the astonishing variety of butterflies.  In my yard in Iowa, I only saw an occasional Tiger Swallowtale, or a Sulfer.  Of course the Monarchs migrate through Iowa late summer and I always had milkweed around and planted Coneflower to entice them to stop at my yard on the way by.  Living in an area surrounded by cropland, the use of pesticides has severely impacted the butterfly and bee populations. Not to mention, the lightning bugs are all but gone in Iowa.

I am excited to see the flower gardens thrive and grow through the summer months, but more than that I can't wait to see what variety of butterflies will call this little corner of Iowa home. This will be a good place to hang out with my camera later this summer.

Until next time...