"Monarch Waystation" Butterfly Plant Seed Certification Info

Hi, everyone-- I was google-ing around today on the "Monarch Watch" site and found info that other BF gardeners might find useful--

Some have asked about how to begin to plant a basic butterfly garden for monarchs and other butterflies. Of course, there are many different approaches to planting a BF garden for monarchs, but here is the "Monarch Watch" list of seeds to get a Monarch butterfly garden started. If you send them $16 they will send the seed kit directly to you. (The "EZ does it" approach.)

http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws/seed_kit.html

and a pdf brochure with additional details for planting a more elaborate BF garden.

http://www.monarchwatch.org/ws/waystation_guide.pdf

Another question is 'What steps does a BF gardener take to 'certify' your BF garden with the "Monarch Watch" program?'.

The requirements include planting a basic garden according to MW Guidelines, completing the MW application, and sending in $12. You will receive a sign to inform your neighbors that you are providing a butterfly habitat and a listing of your garden "waystation" in a national publication.

This link provides the address and other details:
https://shop.monarchwatch.org/certificate/waystationcert.aspx

Schools and community/condominium/office buildings can all sponsor "Monarch Waystation" gardens.

I sent in for the seeds and price has gone down. Naturally I can't remember exactly, but I just donated the difference to them when they called me asking me about my check and the difference in price. I want to say it was closer to $14 for the information and seeds.

Cool idea! I ordered the seeds too.

Sounds good T,
I hope a lot of people take advantage of that one! Looks like a great selection. I ordered my quota for this week already. Maybe I will get that one in a couple weeks.

Deb

Yes, buying this seed collection is one way to get a good range of BF seeds packaged separately. Sort of a 'Quick Start' approach. It's good to know they have dropped their prices, too. (I hope they update their website!)

I notice other companies sell 'mixes' of BF nectaring seeds which might work for a 'meadow' or 'field' but they don't include milkweed (and other host plants)and wouldn't provide the opportunity to organize your butterfly garden a little bit.

Of course, I don't have any proprietary interest in Monarch Watch seeds. In fact, I haven't bought them, but I will be interested to know how they turn out, hummerlou and cordeldawg. We have lots of host plant and nectar seeds available on the trading threads for DG subscribers, too, and that's where I got many of mine.

Happy gardening! t.

I bought the seed kit as much for the information material as the seeds themselves. Course that was before I got all the information from the recent threads on host plants. Now the thread on the nectar plants is the icing on the cake!

I'll take pictures of my bf gardens in the spring.

Deborah

We are definatly still seeing some migration here, on a very warm path down to Mexico. Deborah I am so glad your enjoying the threads..me too as much I'm sure. Usually it's kinda sad to see all the uncertaity of a dormate winter approaching, but with so much planning to do, and even a little indoor testing it's been very motivating to have you all here.
I just put sown pots in the bathroom window box of about 10 different flower seeds..(this oughta be interresting).

deb

This one appears as though he had just eclosed and found his first drink. He stayed about 2 hours.

Hi ya'll!

I was pleased to see that I am not losing any more of my cats to diseases. That happens every year and it is so frustrating! It looks like I will have another 4 more going into their chrysalis soon.

I don't know if I told you, but I work at a school with exceptional needs students. We have a number of butterfly gardens around our school hosted by teachers, parents, and students. Our class created our own Monarch and Eastern Black Swallowtail gardens. And we're also hosting GF with a passion vine. We've been seeing lots of butterflies lately and eggs everywhere! The students are so excited. We are raising about 20 Monarch cats currently. Our students are enjoying this activity. (This is what got me started with butterfly gardening to begin with!) It's so touching to see the look on the children's faces and the gentleness the students exhibit when handling and caring for these beautiful crawling and winged creatures! They get so excited!! We're teaching the next generation appreciation for creatures great and small and all about the amazing world we live in! What fun we have!!!!

Here's a photo of one of the male monarchs I released (at my home) and a female that is hanging around my yard laying her eggs. When I put the male on the milkweed next to her, she never even fluttered a wing. No fear of humans! Perhaps she was human raised by someone locally! :-)

That's cool Becky,
I didn't know that about you girl! Yet it figures you'd be involved in the kind of work the makes a big difference. My SIL is a teacher of special kids too. It would be very good if all schools had a garden area for kids to do hands on activities, ie. planting and tending.

It has the same value as learning music imo. When kids understand metamorphosis, they can do a higher form of life math. The challenged are actually more bright and open to life's real true values, and even more eager to apply them. ~We see it all the time. They are so capable of learning, (I think), even a greater thing... The hope of change instead of the fear of it.

Im so proud to know ya even more!

deb

Hey Deb, what happened with those you took to your son's school? Do they still have them?

I can answer you better in the thread about the new ones Sheila, might be best outa respect for t and monarchs. This might save a lot of repeating and hogging up this thread over my little deal too. lol.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/663901/

o/ carry on everyone.. try to take advantage of this very easy kit thing!

Becky, your story about teaching children about butterflies and nature using gardening is wonderful. I read somewhere that more and more schools, churches, children's museums, and day care centers are planting gardens to engage the children in learning. And helping the butterfly populations grow, too!

And more about 'EZ does it' butterfly gardening. I notice Onalee (who is a member of DG, I believe) offers a Butterfly seed collection that includes several Milkweeds and also several interesting easy to grow nectar plant seeds.

http://onaleeseeds.bizhosting.com/butterfly_garden_favorites.html

Onalee has an outstanding rating on Garden Watchdog and I have purchased from her before

http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/3443/

Me too, T. I like her planting instructions and seedling pic Id right there on the package.

Becky, I'm touched. I'm telling my dil who teaches 3rd grade about your story. Hopfully she'll start an on-campus bf garden.

I work with the wee little folks at my school. We enlist the help of "older" friends (upper grade level students such as 1st - 5th graders) who also get engaged in gardening. They come visit our class to help us as our older buddies! Everyone benefits! The Principal, teachers, and parents have all enjoyed the gardens and butterflies, too! We get a LOT of butterflies at my school now. We are continually adding plants to it to attract even more butterflies. And several other teachers and their students have added their own class gardens to the school grounds. It's fun to walk through the outdoor walkways between buildings and see the butterflies and birds hanging out right there in our garden. The kids get such a thrill when we spot one. Sometimes we spot many at the same time. Our little children know how to spot and identify the different butterfly eggs, the cats, and the butterflies. And even some of their host plants!!! They may not know all their alphabet letters yet, but they know about butterflies! lol

There are grants that schools can apply for to get the funding to create these gardens. Each state has grants for habitat preservation and creation. We have won several grants over the past several years. One year one of the other teachers & her class started a garden and a mother rabbit felt so safe in her garden that she gave birth to babies which she hid in the middle of one of the gardens. Of course, there were a few yummy plants for her and her babies to munch on as well. We were tickled to see the little bunnies and know they felt safe in the middle of a school! Amazing, to say the least!

All of this is why I got interested and started my own butterfly gardens at my home. I can't imagine my yard now without the gardens. I'm definitely hooked on gardening, various wildlife creatures, and habitat creation! I absolutely love it and love sharing my gardens and my experience with others in the hopes that they too will start gardens in their yards! Many of my friends have, as well as a few of my neighbors! What fun! I even grow extra plants from seeds and share them with the school and friends & neighbors! I say - Share the wealth! And my mother is also getting interested. A wonderful thing for someone in their late 70s! :-) It's contagious!

Great stuff Becky!!
I am still working on my mom.. she loves butterflies, but woah on the crawlies, eek, she's thinkin' dammage, ugly, lol. I told her, " God loved you when you were just a Caterpillar just as much as now." Her eyes popped, "oh yeah?", she said. I added, "If you plant a substantial ammount of their host plant, you will hardy even notice the chewed areas." She said, "Really? then maybe I will."
I stopped while I was ahead, lol.

She'll come around...she's a very cool and kind lady!

Our garden is Monarch Waystation #948. We had so many Monarchs this year, what with our large garden that we started last fall and worked like crazy on this spring and summer. Even before we got our gardens going really well, we've had lots of Monarchs and other butterflies. I'll never forget the one morning about three years ago, when we awoke to find hundreds of Monarchs in our trees.

My mom has been the major fundraiser for her Master Gardeners group that is building a children's garden in her hometown of Van Wert, Ohio. The butterfly house is pretty well complete and it is so darn cool! It's pink with a green roof and is the first time that a Vera Bradley print has been allowed to be used on anything besides Vera Bradley products. The shutters on the butterfly house are the paisleys from the print. They'll be using it in their advertising. Their garden has also been certified as a Monarch Waystation and they'll be raising butterflies next year.

Here's the artist's illustration for the Butterfly House. I don't have a photo of it.


This message was edited Dec 14, 2006 2:34 AM

How very cool Kbaumle!
Keep us posted on the goings on there, it sounds like a wonderful place! Tobasco will also be glad to know ya. How far are you from Cincinnati? If you get more pictured, please post them!

~o~

Well, I've got a picture of when they poured the cement for the gazebo sidewalk. Kids from a daycare there in town put their handprints in it. My mom is the woman on the right, helping the little boy with his handprints. As the whole thing comes together, I'll start a thread about it, because it's really a neat thing they're doing. I probably won't post that until next spring, when they really start planting in earnest. They've planted trees this fall, but I think that's it for planting.

kb, that's so neat....I can't wait to see and hear more about it! Love that bf house and garden plan.

I forgot to answer deb about how far I am from Cincy. About 2½ hours straight north of there, just off US 127. I'm straight east of Ft. Wayne, IN, if you know where that is.

Great Kb! T will probably catch it when she comes back to the thread. If not I will point it out to her. Thanks!

That's neat about your Mom's butterfly house project in Van Wert and that you have certification on your own BF garden.

kb--Where exactly is 'northwest' Ohio? Is that an area or the name of a town? (I know where Van Wert is and have been through that area quite often.) kb--you have such a lovely garden, I am not at all surprised that you have monarchs and you must be in the migration path to have hundreds in your trees? Do you know if the migration path runs through your area?

tabasco, I live in such a rural area, I put Northwest Ohio as where I live, because no one would know where Haviland is. LOL. But if you know where Van Wert is, I'm about 11 miles north of there, just off US 127. :-)

Thanks for the compliment about my garden! No, I don't know if we are in the migration path, but we surely must have been that year!

This message was edited Nov 27, 2006 1:17 AM

Well, look at THAT, will ya?! According to this migration map: http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/fallmap.htm , if you extend out that fourth-from-the-right arrow line to the north, it goes RIGHT OVER our area. So I guess the answer to your question is yes!




This message was edited Nov 27, 2006 1:22 AM

Hi T~
Good to see you!
All your Monarchs come this way too Kb & T.. We had so many this time, it was a great year. I expect next year will be even better with all of you guys up there protecting and feeding them!

:-)

kbaumle - Loved the photo of the child with your mom making his handprint! I can not wait to see more photos of this project! That is so incredible what the Master Gardeners group is doing for the kids in the community! What a wonderful, wonderful idea to educate the children locally. I bet it will be visited by many school children on field trips once the children's garden is completed! What a great layout and design! Love it, love it!!!!

Tell your mom that she is absolutely awesome for fundraising and doing this project! She's got two thumbs up from me!!!!!

Make that 4 Thumbs and 2 toes :-)

I found a picture of the monarchs we saw in our tree! As I said before, the pictures I took didn't turn out very well, for some reason, but this is the best one. It was taken September 10, 2003.

What a deal Kbaumle!
A wonderful sight, turned out well enough to see what you had there.

Thanks for sharing the picture!

Very neat, kbaumle--

What kind of tree was that again? Maybe I will have to plant some!

Thanks for posting the pic!

I was wondering that too, what kind of tree it was. Hard to tell if it a Tulip or maybe a Sassafras.

It's a maple!

Great pic kb! That must have been quite a sight!

Kb. Thanks for the id. Do you happen to know which Maple specifically. All the trees here and not a Maple in the yard. Need to rectify that if it brings so many Monarchs at one time. Really neat sight to see.

I'm sorry, I don't know which kind, but it's a common one here in Ohio.

Well, I'll have to keep an eye out for a butterfly convention on my maples here, although I think kbaumle, you are definitely in the migration path and we are not. Boo hoo.

I think we are, too, and this date for this picture would fit with the migration dates for our latitude:

41°
Peak in monarch abundance: 8 - 20 September

We had temps down in the mid 20's the first of the week. All of my plants were apparently killed. I went to the passion vine to see if the cats were there and they were. I noticed the monarchs laying eggs on the frozen butterfly weed. There were a couple of large cats on there also. I brought them in and put them on the stem that I had rooted. (Wish I had rooted more, I didn;t expect to be successful with the rooting). They have stripped it bare. I may have butterflies on my sun porch one winter day.

Oooh, dear. Sounds like you will have your hands full babying your cats this winter! Good luck!

Of the two monarchs that I brought in, one disappeared, the other (after eating for several days) attached to the bottom of the Christmas catus plant. It is hanging straight down and turned black, no change in four days. Anyone see this before?