FARMINGTON — Among the many goals of the Farmington Garden Club, one at the top of the list is to keep improving the butterfly garden in Creekside Park.
The small garden is located just southwest of a large pavilion and contains several flowering plants that attract butterflies.
Garden Club members recently visited White River Nursery which specializes in a variety of native flowering plants, including orange-blooming common milkweed and swamp milkweed.
These two milkweed plants are essential to the survival of the monarch butterfly, club members said. Monarch butterflies use the flowers for high-energy nectar especially suited to them. Later, they lay their eggs on the leaves. Then the caterpillars eat the leaves before making a cocoon and emerging as a butterfly.
The butterfly garden has been a learning experience, club members said. The blue star plants bloom early in the spring before butterflies arrive, and they also crowd out other plants. The severe heat in July caused some of the flower heads to dry up even though they are considered to be drought-resistant and they were watered frequently, club members said.
Then there is the mountain mint, which is a favorite of the buckeye and painted lady butterflies. It tends to be invasive, also overshadowing plants near it. It is a constant battle to keep it contained, club members said.
Even though establishing the right balance of butterfly plants has had its challenges, garden club members said they are determined to make the butterfly garden a welcoming place for monarch butterflies as well as others. They keep learning and experimenting with different plants in the garden and then what they learn has helped many members start their own gardens at home.
The group welcomes new members. People who would like to join the club, can contact Judy Horne at 267-1022 or [email protected].