Butterfly Garden Flourishes in its First Full Summer

Butterfly Garden Flourishes in its First Full Summer
Erin McDermott earned her Girl Scout Gold Bar Award in 2015 by designing and planting a butterfly
garden here at Reed-Turner Woodland. While the focus was on providing food for Monarch butterflies,
the garden includes numerous flowering plants that feed many species of butterflies. Erin’s design also
included the construction of two benches (one adult size and one sized for the younger set) so that
visitors could sit, relax, and observe what comes to the flowers.
This is the first full year of the garden and it is flourishing. The plants are healthy and well into their
bloom cycle.
Among the plants is milkweed which is an essential element for a Monarch garden, as Monarch
caterpillars only feed on the leaves of milkweed. Milkweed, however, plays a double role. Its flowers
are a food source not only for the Monarch adults but also for hummingbirds who visit the large clusters
of tiny flowers for the nectar. If you are lucky you'll get to see some of these incredible birds, along with
a variety of butterflies.
We invite you to visit the garden, sit and observe the garden and the animals it attracts. You reach the
garden by following the short path which starts on the north side of the parking lot (the same side as the
Nature Center entrance sign).
Some of the flowers in bloom now (July 1) or which are just about to be in bloom include the following.
(Thanks to our volunteer bloom spotter, Sarah Schultz)
 Daisy fleabane
 Common milkweed (in flower)
 Black-eyed Susan
 Common yarrow
 Illinois rose (aka climbing wild
rose)
A non- native:
 Ox-eye daisy
 Tall agrimony
Soon to be in bloom- watch for these
in coming weeks:
 Bee Balm (aka Wild Bergamot)
(may also be purple)
 Ohio spiderwort (blooms open in
mornings only)
 Purple Coneflower (aka
Echinacea)
 Mountain Mint
 Purple Joe Pye Weed (grows to >
5 ft tall)
 Swamp milkweed
 Butterfly milkweed
REMEMBER:
 Culver’s root
Reed-Turner Woodland is an Illinois
Certified Nature Preserve. Nothing
may be collected or removed from
the site. Relax, observe, enjoy, and
take home memories and photos.