The Eastern Texans who dreamed of attracting herds of floating butterflies to their backyard or helping to save the emblematic monarch will have a main opportunity to learn how this week.
As part of their “Nature in the Garden Series”, the Smith County Master Gardeners and the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service organize a free public program entitled “Butterflies: Best practices for monarch conservation and butterfly gardening in East Texas”. The event will take place on Thursday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Agrilife Extension Office classroom in the historic cotton belt building, located at 1517 W. Front Street, Suite 116, in Tyler.
This informative program will be directed by Dawn Stover, founder and owner of the Nectar connector, which brings decades of practical experience in the gardening of pollinators and the conservation of native plants. Stover is a long -standing defender of the use of locally adapted native plants to attract and support butterflies and other beneficial insects. His conference will combine horticultural know-how with ecological insight, offering participants practical advice on how to create and maintain vibrant landscapes for butterflies in eastern Texas.
The heart of Stover’s presentation will focus on monarch butterflies, whose populations have experienced alarming reductions in recent decades due to loss of habitat, climate change and the use of pesticides. The monarchs need Asclepia (ASCLEPIAS SPP.) As host plants for their larvae, and Stover will explain how the incorporation of asclepia and other essential indigenous species in the garden can provide the good conditions for their survival and their reproduction. Beyond the monarchs, it will highlight the needs of many species of native butterflies and the broader ecological value of the creation of habitat for all pollinators.
Participants will learn to select and develop a range of nectar and host plants suitable for climate and soils in eastern Texas. The subjects will include selection of species, seasonal flowering succession, pesticide -free maintenance and the use of local ecotypes. Particular attention will be paid to vegetable-pollinating interactions and to the importance of promoting both adult butterflies and their caterpillars. Gardeners of all levels, from masters gardeners to new arrivals with a sunny patio, will leave with inspiring ideas and practical tools.
This free workshop is open to the public, but recording is requested in advance, because space is limited. Participants can register by visiting https://smith.agrife.org/ngs/ or by calling the Smith Agrife County Extension Office (903) 590-2980. A QR code for registration is also available on the leaflet of the event published on the Facebook page of Smith County Master Gardener.
With the populations of pressure pollinators across Texas, this timely event offers both education and empowerment. Join Dawn Stover and the Masters Gardeners of Smith County for an instructive and usable program that could well transform your courtyard into a butterfly sanctuary. Whether you have a few pots on a balcony or pasture acres, there is a role for everyone to support these winged wonders of the garden.
– Greg Grant, Ph.D., is the horticulturalist of the county of Smith and master gardener coordinator of Texas A & M Agrilife Extension Service. He is the author of the Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, Texas Home Landscaping, Heirloom Gardening in the South and the Rose Rustlers. You can read his blog “Greg’s Ramblings” at Arborgate.comRead his “In Greg’s Garden” in each issue of Texas Gardener Magazine (Texasgardener.com), or follow him on Facebook at “Greg Grant Gardens” or “Rebel Eloy Emanis Wildlife Sanctuary”. More information on the lawn and gardening based on the science of Texas A&M Agrife Extension Service can be found at Aggieurf.tamu.edu And Aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu.