We bought the milkweed. We planted the milkweed. We read an article telling us the milkweed we planted would cause a genetic deficiency in monarchs and if we didn’t rip it out we were horrible, awful people. We panicked. We called Landscape Bob, our friend down the street who has spent a lifetime growing things in Florida.
Relax, Landscape Bob told us, that article lacks scientific evidence. Your milkweed will do just fine by your caterpillars.
And now we wait — but not for long. Apparently planting milkweed will draw monarchs to your yard much like setting out some kava and a typewriter will draw hipsters. Landscape Bob has guided us through the milkweed process; he is our monarch sherpa.
But what if you don’t have a Landscape Bob of your own? What then?
Well, this Thursday (May 24), the St. Pete Beach Library can be your Landscape Bob. At 11 a.m., they’ll host Butterfly Gardening 101, a presentation about how to bring butterflies to your yard, what types of butterflies live and pass through Pinellas, and how to build a butterfly-friendly garden from a patch of dirt (or how to add to an established garden so that butterflies hang out there). The talk will also include information about the life cycle of a butterfly and what butterflies need at each stag of their life cycle.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2018.
