What kid isn’t fascinated by butterflies?

When we lived in Grand Rapids the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park started an annual exhibit called Butterflies are Blooming. After a couple years the company I worked for became the exhibit sponsor and I had the opportunity to work directly with the Meijer Gardens staff on the exhibit.

While this year the Meijer Gardens has closed because of the threat of Covid-19, they placed a great video on Facebook showing some of the lovely butterflies that are currently enjoying the Meijer Gardens wonderful conservatory.

In the process I got a thorough education on butterflies and how their well-being is an indicator of the well-being of our environment. I learned about the Monarch Watch efforts to conserve the Monarch butterfly and became enthralled with these lovely butterflies as well as some of the unique ones you won’t see outside an exhibit unless you travel outside the United States.

Monarch butterflies remain one of my favorites because of their beauty and because they migrate from Mexico to here in the Midwest and back annually. I’ve seen them migrating in fall and it’s something spectacular to view. But the numbers of the Monarch migration weren’t good in 2019 for a variety of reasons including a late migration and a drought in Texas. Also affecting Monarch population numbers are the loss of habitat in this country, which has lead Monarch Watch to launch a Bring Back the Monarchs conservation campaign to restore 20 milkweed species that provide monarch caterpillars with food. The campaign also encourages the planting of nectar producing native flowers to feed adult monarchs.

We let milkweed grow in our fields and I have some in my front yard garden along with other native plants like monarda, liatrus and black-eyed Susans. And when I’m looking for plants to bring into our gardens to further attract pollinators - bees and butterflies - one of the books I go to is the Xerces Society Guide to Attracting Native Pollinators.

Helping to build strong bee and butterfly populations is one of my passions as a gardener. If this is something that interests you, I highly recommend this book. You can purchase it by following the link below. If you choose this option, know that I may get a small commission.

If you’re interested in leaning how you can encourage pollinators in your area, you can purchase Attracting Native Pollinators on Amazon by clicking on the Buy on Amazon button at the bottom of the product picture. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Amazon Services LLC Associates Program is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.