School Garden

We finished our midscale worm bin early December. The kids did a fantastic job with the construction and we are excited to introduce the worms to their home early spring. I know the worms can survive the winter but I am worried about user error and figure I can use the winter to iron out the kinks.  For example, I'm going to approach some local restaurants about composting their food scraps during the summer months.

Working those carpentry skills

Almost done, just need the lid

While looking through photos, I came across these gems from last spring

Planting herb bed

Watering in the new plants

Caging those tomatoes 

Worm Composting

The kids in my gardening class are building a medium scale worm bin for the school. Here are some great links that have helped us along the way:


Creating a Worm Bin

Worm Composting Basics
How to Build a Worm Farm
Compost Bin made with Nursery Trays
Mid Scale Worm Bin

Science Behind Vermicompost

"Vermicompost--A Living Soil Amendment" Video


Worm Anatomy

http://extension.illinois.edu/worms/anatomy/

Soil Biology

Soil Microbiology

Digitalis "Illumination Flame"

Nothing that lives, or can be, rigidly perfect; part of it decaying, part nascent. The foxglove blossom;--a third part bud, a third part past, a third part in bloom,--is a type of the life of this world. 

--John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice

More Spring Blooms

Fritillaria imperialis

Grape hyacinths in a quick April snowstorm

Spirea x cinerea

Pearlbush--Exochorda x marcantha

Viburnum

Weeping Siberian Pea-- Caragana arboresens 'Pendula'

Carol Mackie Burkwood Daphne

Flowering Quince

Spring Bloomers

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” 
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

Hellebore

Hellebore

Flowering Quince

Magnolia

Butterfly Garden

People need less lawn. It is boring and doesn't attract interesting wildlife. This year try planting a butterfly garden. Butterflies drink nectar from flowers so a butterfly garden needs to be filled with flowering plants. An optimal habitat for butterflies will have flowers blooming during the entire growing season. It also helps to add host plants that will provide nourishment for the emerging caterpillar larva. Most caterpillars eat plants specific to her species. Host plants are often weedy in habitat and will be damaged by the hungry caterpillars. Plant them in places where aesthetics aren't as important.  Another tip to attract butterflies and other pollinators is to clump plants together and to provide a water source.

Butterflies typically visit flowers that are:

• In full sun
• In clusters and provide landing platforms
• Brightly colored (red, yellow, orange)
• Open during the day
• Ample nectar producers, with nectar deeply hidden
• Nectar guides present
• May be clusters of small flowers (goldenrods, Spirea) 

Butterfly Attracting Flowers

 

Asclepius tuberosa  - Butterflyweed

Buddleia--Butterfly Bush

Eupatorium maculatum 'Gateway' Spotted Joe Pye Weed--for the back of the garden. Gets up to six feet tall.

Echinacea--Purple Cone Flower

Hemerocallis--daylily

Rudbeckia--Black Eyed Susan--bloom from summer to frost

Aster spp.--Aster
Aquilegia canadensis – Columbine
Coreopsis palmata - Stiff Coreopsis
Echinacea pallilda - Pale Purple Coneflower
Eupatorium fistulosum - Tall Joe Pye Weed
Hemerocallis--Daylily 
Alcea--Hollyhocks
Lavendula--Lavander
Liatris ligullistylis - Meadow Blazingstar
Liatris pycnostachya - Prairie Blazingstar
Monarda fistulosa - Bergamot
Nepeta--Catmint
Physostegia virginiana - Obedient Plant
Rudbeckia subtomentosa - Sweet Black Eyed Susan
Solidago--Goldenrod
Syringa--Lilac
Vernonia fasciculata - Ironweed
Zinnia--Zinnia


Host Plants
Including host plants in your garden will bring are wider variety of butterflies. First, you need to know what species are native to your area. You can find a list here: http://www.thebutterflysite.com/butterfly-gardening-by-area.shtml

Milkweeds are the host plant for Monarch butterflies. The best milkweed choice you can make is to pick species that are native to your local area. The monarch society has a list of native milkweed species by state.

Asclepsis syriaca--common milkweed--spreads by rhizomes and is often weedy.

Host Plants and the Butterflies They Attract

---

Host Plant	Butterfly
Willow (Salix spp.)	Red Spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)	Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)	Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)	Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliata)	Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Senna (Cassia spp.)	Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)	Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)	Monarch (Danaus plexippu