Marianna's Blog
Run, Rabbit
Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center
I am captivated by the critter cams. Since we began spying on the wildlife at night, we've identified and named an interesting and entertaining cast of characters we don't usually get to see in the gardens and on the trails. First, there is the feral hog. Big surprise, this one was! Then there are the owls: large and small. We judge their size and try to guess their species by the glowing eyes floating some distance above the branch, barely visible in the shadows. The owls are often present in the still photos, watching, waiting, witnesses to everything that happens in the night.
Chasing Pixies ('Cause the Housework can Wait!)
Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center
Spring used to mean cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. But now it means PLANTING.
Stripping and flipping mattresses has been replaced by trimming and turning beds, and I can't wait to see the transformation. I am TOTALLY AND UNABASHEDLY OVERJOYED to abandon housework for the gardens and trails of the NBC, and recently, we had the help of 48 high school seniors in the nursery. They weeded and seeded dozens of flats, and transplanted trees into containers large enough to support their growth. Turns out plants—specifically, host plants—are the great multiplier of butterflies. For this reason, we keep propagating and planting!
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