Sep
2017
Poetry Friday: Build it, and they will come
The Soil and Water Conservation District in our local community has been supporting a program to encourage more habitat for our pollinators–butterflies, bees, birds. Share Some Space has planted many pollinator gardens in public spaces–schools, parks, fairgrounds, and more. In addition, they offer a yearly plant sale of native plants that are powerhouses for pollinators.
Just over a year ago, I planted my very own pollinator garden in our backyard. Thank goodness most of these plants are quite hardy and thrive on neglect. In addition to the plants I bought from the sale, I moved some other flowering plants from my yard to join them and plant some annuals as well.
Newly planted pollinator garden. They plants are huge now!
This spring and summer the garden has taken off, and I love watching the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds flutter around as the sip from the blooms. The garden includes milkweed, so I’ve been hoping to see some monarchs. This week I did–at least caterpillars. These critters must have been ravenous because they left no leaves on the milkweed plants. I haven’t seen them in a few days, so I’m not sure if they left to find more leaves or if they became dinner for some hungry birds.
No more leaves on the milkweed!
I was so excited, I’ve been playing around with a poem in their honor this week. I will probably try to plant more milkweed so the leaves last a little longer next summer.
Marvelous Milkweed
Caterpillars
march up
milkweed stems,
munch up leaves.
Munch
Munch
Much up more
marvelous milkweed.
Each Friday, I am excited to take part in Poetry Friday, where writers share their love of all things poetry. Kat has the Poetry Friday Roundup today at Kat Appel Aussie Children’s Author. This week she invites us to play and shares about several groups that encourage more play and creativity.. Stop by and see what poetry morsels are offered this week.
Laura Shovan
September 16, 2017 at 7:51 pm (7 years ago)It’s so exciting to have these visitors munching and sipping in the garden, isn’t it? We have a Rose of Sharon and a butterfly bush near one another — a favorite spot for butterflies, cardinals, even a little hummingbird.
Mrs. McGriff
September 16, 2017 at 8:21 pm (7 years ago)It is exciting! The caterpillars have disappeared (and no sign of a chrysalis), but there are still bees and butterflies flitting around the flowers.
Michelle Kogan
September 7, 2017 at 1:49 am (7 years ago)Thanks for the spunky “marvelous milkweed” poem, it’s delightful! I can picture the caterpillars munching away. Have fun with your garden, you’re probably going to have many more milkweed plants next year.
Mrs. McGriff
September 7, 2017 at 1:10 pm (7 years ago)Thanks, MIchelle! I hope the milkweed keeps coming back. Fortunately, most of the plants in the garden are native plants that thrive on neglect!
Brenda Harsham
September 5, 2017 at 12:02 am (7 years ago)No Monarchs here, except that we saw one on a hike. We have cabbage butterflies that live in our yard and tiger swallowtail visited briefly. I try to plant things the native butterflies like. I don’t see able to grow milkweed though. Sadly.
Mrs. McGriff
September 7, 2017 at 1:09 pm (7 years ago)Awww…to bad about the milkweed. We must live in the right part of the country because it’s common along the ditches and roadsides, too. Even though I was excited by the monarch caterpillars, I love watching all the different butterflies.
Michelle Heidenrich Barnes
September 3, 2017 at 8:51 pm (7 years ago)What a great little ditty to march and munch along to! Like you, we planted butterfly-friendly plants a few years ago. The milkweed never came back (not sure if it was supposed to or not) but we still get plenty of butterflies attracted to the lantana and Mexican petunias.
Mrs. McGriff
September 7, 2017 at 1:08 pm (7 years ago)Don’t the butterflies add so much to the garden? I love watching them flit from flower to flower. So far, the milkweed keeps coming back.
Leigh Anne
September 3, 2017 at 9:35 am (7 years ago)What a fabulous idea! This is rewarding for all – pollinators and observers. Reading your poem and seeing the picture of the leafless milkweed plant, I can’t help but think about The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Mrs. McGriff
September 3, 2017 at 11:37 am (7 years ago)Thanks, Leigh Anne. I do enjoy the garden as much as the pollinators. We also added a fire pit and chairs for us.
Linda
September 2, 2017 at 10:00 pm (7 years ago)ah ha! That marvelous milkweed. Really great plant….to fun to play with too. Love the repetition of marvelous, marvelous.
Mrs. McGriff
September 3, 2017 at 11:36 am (7 years ago)Thanks, Linda. I had fun playing around with this one.
Mary Lee Hahn
September 2, 2017 at 10:46 am (7 years ago)I had a depressing lack of butterflies in my garden this year. Evidence of black swallowtails appeared in caterpillars on the dill, but they, too, disappeared, probably into bird gullets. My milkweed has yet to attract a single monarch. We did okay with bees, but they were late in coming. I thought we wouldn’t have any of them either. I don’t like the direction this is headed…
Mrs. McGriff
September 2, 2017 at 8:02 pm (7 years ago)Oh, Mary Lee, how sad. I have been seeing lots of butterflies and bees in our area. The spreading of the pollinator gardens throughout the county seem to be having an impact. This summer is the first time I’ve seen monarch caterpillars in our yard, and several friends have shared their own photos, too.
KatApel
September 1, 2017 at 9:08 pm (7 years ago)What a rewarding experience for you, Kay. Hoping we see poetry inspired by the next stage of the cycle – when you find those missing monarchs. I have an antigonon vine here, with glorious pink flowers – and the bees love it! It even attracted a flurry of butterflies last spring. Wonder if we’re about to see more of that… #ihopeso
Mrs. McGriff
September 2, 2017 at 8:01 pm (7 years ago)Good news-the caterpillars were back today, at least this morning. They seem to come and go.
Linda Baie
September 1, 2017 at 8:14 pm (7 years ago)Glad the gardening is going well, & hope the caterpillars are just moving on to that next phase!
Mrs. McGriff
September 1, 2017 at 8:22 pm (7 years ago)Thanks, Linda! I keep checking for signs.