NENA is offering its 11th Annual “Grow Monarch Habitat” workshop on Saturday, May 20, 2017, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Nokomis Community Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis. This kid friendly session offers a wealth of information for both beginning and advanced gardeners. Doors open at 9:30 am.
As the number of monarch butterflies has plummeted in the last few years, researchers and naturalists are urging people to create monarch habitat in urban and suburban areas throughout the Midwest Corn Belt, to replace lost agricultural habitat, especially milkweed. This how-to workshop will provide the information and essential plants to get started.
The presentation covers the monarch life cycle, habitat needs, the role of milkweed, the annual migration and an introduction to the plants in the Monarch Garden-to-Go Kits. The project was the impetus for the Growing Monarch Habitat program and the Minneapolis Monarch Festival.
Workshop Presenter: Vicki Joy Bonk has served as the Nokomis Naturescape stewardship leader for 20 years and regularly speaks about the benefits of native plant gardening.
Monarch Garden-to-Go Kits; For Purchase at Workshop:
Each kit contains 12 local native host, nectar and shelter plants to get you started. Plants are supplied by the Vagary, an experienced local, native plant grower. Each kit is a $37.50 value and offered to workshop participants for $32. Kits are delivered on May 20 at the workshop. Nokomis Naturescape Gardeneers and Wild Ones volunteers will be onsite to help answer your questions.
For those not interested in a kit, workshop attendance is free.
- Monarch Garden-to-Go for Dry-Medium Soil – $32
3 Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) – the caterpillar host plant
3 Button Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) – magnet butterfly nectar plant
Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) – butterfly nectar plant
1 Smooth Blue Aster (Aster) – butterfly nectar plant
1 Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) – butterfly nectar plant
3 Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) – shelter
- Monarch Garden-to-Go for Medium-Moist Soil – $32
3 Red (Swamp) Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) – the caterpillar host plant
3 Meadow Blazing Star (Liatris ligulistylis) – magnet butterfly nectar plant
1 Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) – butterfly nectar plant
1 New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) – butterfly nectar plant
1 Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – butterfly nectar plant
3 Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis) – shelter
More habitat plants will be available for purchase at the workshop including a variety of native milkweeds.
For information on the Grow Monarch Habitat Workshop, the Minneapolis Monarch Festival or the Nokomis Naturescape, please call 612-724-5652 or email monarch@nokomiseast.org
