Plant Profile: Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)
Karen Showy milkweed is a herbaceous perennial native to Northwest and north central US where it can be found in sunny moist to dry sites including savannas, prairies, roadsides, abandon fields,…
Plant Profile: Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Swamp milkweed is a herbaceous perennial native to North America where it grows in moist to wet soils including swamps, ditches, and the edges of ponds, lakes, and streams. It…
Plant Profile: Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Native to Eastern US where it grows in moist shady sites, wild columbine is a herbaceous perennial and a member of the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae, that also includes clematis, delphinium,…
Plant Profile: Weeping Butterfly Bush (Buddleja lindleyana)
This deciduous shrub is native to China but has naturalized in southeastern US where it can form substantial thickets by means of stolons. It has cinnamon colored trunks and dark…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
The viceroy can be found through out most of the US, southern Canada and northern Mexico where it inhabits moist open or shrubby areas such as land around lakes, along…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
The common buckeye is easily recognized by the striking eyespots that adorn their brown scalloped wings. Although the female is larger than the male and has more rounded forewings, they…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Long-Tailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)
Primarily a butterfly of South and Central America, the long tailed skipper can be found in Texas, Southern California, Arizona, Texas, Florida, and occasionally in the Mississippi Valley, Midwest, and…
Book Review: Butterfly Park
Butterflies delight both young and old but we can’t take them for granted because sometimes there are no butterflies where we expect. Elly MacKay’s book Butterfly Park shows how children…
Book Review: Butterflies and Moths
Children frequently see butterflies and moths flying around but do they know the difference? These insects look very much alike to most people yet are quite different when viewed close-up.…
Book Review: It’s a Good Thing There Are Butterflies
Butterflies add life and beauty to the garden thereby enhancing everyone’s experience there. Children are especially attracted to butterflies and Lisa Herrington’s book, It’s a Good Thing There Are Butterflies,…