Art of the Monarch

I began the Art of the Monarch as an after school residency with Hawthorne schools and created an Art Show from it that went on display for Tulsa Mayfest in 2014.

Since then I have continued this as an offering through AHHA and teach it in the schools. This semester I have 2 after school residencies and teach it in the spring to a lot of second grade classes. I’m currently putting together an art proposal/teaching project for Gathering Place in the spring. I teach the migration cycle, the life cycle, about the habitats they need to survive and what has effected the decline of their population. I often dress up and continue to evolve and change the class every year.

Johnson home garden

What started in a small corner in a yard full of grass, has expanded into 3 large flower beds of nectar and host plants. These beds are dedicated to attracting, feeding, and raising pollinators with an emphasis on monarchs.

Spread through those beds we have 8 varieties of milkweed and about 30 plants along with parsley, rue, fennel, spicebush, and passionvine. For nectar we have included indian blanket flower, salvia, joe pye weed, butterfly bush, rubunkea, bee balm, asters, zinnias, porterweed, and others.

We have a wide variety of pollinators showing up with new ones that surprise us daily.

S. Logan County Monarch Waystation

The garden is approximately 3/4 of a acre in south central Logan County OK.
The garden is made up of native plants and grasses that grow wild. The ground was originally prairie grazing pasture. The garden has been in place for a little over three years. It is approximately four miles east of I 35 and five miles south of Guthrie, near Seward OK. The garden blooms from early spring to fall, it is under going improvements for Pollinators, Monarchs and Humming birds.

Gustafson Family Garden

Medium sized (for now) butterfly garden in the front and back yard. great outdoor activity for the whole family. also great opportunity for the kids to learn the importance of pollinators. Starting small and will add plants and space every year.

Miss Bloomers Butterly Garden

Located behind our home on the greenbelt adjacent to Lake Hefner. Registered as a Monarch Waystation and planted with 3 varieties of lavender, salvias, larkspur, cosmos, butterfly bush, native grey headed coneflower, butterfly weed, several varities of milkweed, vitex, rose of sharon, cleome, lantana, and native grasses. The garden attracts many bees and pollinators and butterflies.

Embroidery Thread Monarch Wing Earrings

I hand make butterfly earrings from embroidery thread which are hand tied, dyed, stiffened, cut, then painted with the classic monarch wing pattern, completing the 4-5 day process. Every purchase of butterfly earrings from ibleedheart.com gives directly back to the Monarch conservation efforts, and come with the option of including a packet of milkweed seeds.