I removed 3 Capitol Pears (related to Bradford Pears) from alongside my driveway and planted the area with a pollinator garden.

With a focus on Monarchs, I’ve setup a garden dedicated to butterflies and their posterity. Monarchs, Black Swallowtails, Emperor Hackberry butterflies, Painted Ladies, Pearl Crescents, Red Admirals, Question Marks and Hairstreaks visit. With a focus on host plants, I’m hoping to see Giant, Spicebush, and Pipevine Swallowtails, Commas Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Mexican Fritillary, Zebra Longwing and Julias.

Started in 2019, and expanded in 2020, a private home garden with a focus on butterfly host plants: spice bush, Joe Pye Weed, native Pipevine, fennel, parsley, and Rue; also exhibits nectar-source host plants: various milkweed species (showy, green, and prairie), Passion flower vine, and wild blue indigo; and primary necter sources: Sweetspire, sterile buddleia, verbena, lantana, coneflower, alyssum, and lavender.

Back in June 2020, I revived an unused, neglected corner garden in our backyard in order to provide a waystation for monarchs and other pollinators. I used the “Okies For Monarchs” central Oklahoma blend of seeds available from Johnston Seed Company. This mix includes: Goldenrod, Partridge Pea, Prairie Coneflower, Illinois Bundleflower, Maximilian Sunflower, Plains Coreopsis, Lanceleaf Coreopsis, Annual Sunflower, White Yarrow, Leadplant, White Prairie Clover, Purple Prairie Clover, Indian Blanket, Verbena, Purple Coneflower, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Showy Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Pennsylvania Smartweed, Wild Bergamot, Gayfeather, Pale Purple Coneflower, Lemon Mint, and Rattlesnake Master. Additionally, I threw in a few various packets of wildflowers I had on-hand, as well as some seeds from wild milkweed growing nearby. The photo I’m including was taken August 25, 2020, so it’s been about 2.5 months.

Pollinator/Monarch Garden planted in my backyard April, 2020 during the Safe at Home days of Covid 19 crisis. Migrating monarchs touched my life during a difficult time years ago. I built this garden to support them on their journey. It contains 2 kinds of milkweed, monarda, butterfly bush, blue aster & cone flowers. Thanks to inspiration by Marcie Hawkins, Debra Parkhurst & Broken Arrow city Horticulturalist Chris Ohler. Special thanks to Dianne Nail for sharing plantings & her Master Gardener wisdom.

A potted garden of tropical milkweed, verbena, lantana, pentas, and angelonias.

Urban Bee/butterfly/bird/pollinator garden. Successfully experimenting with permaculture concepts.

We have planted many Oklahoma-native plants here in our Cross Timbers-habitat neighborhood in east Edmond. Examples include Butterfly weed, Swamp milkweed, Indian Blanket, Little bluestem, Pale purple coneflower, Rattlesnake master, Giant coneflower and many others. These plants compliment the native Blackjack oaks on our property. We have consistently seen monarchs, especially in the fall, stopping through and have had caterpillars on our milkweed the past two years.

Entrance is into the Stoney Creek neighborhood and will be listed and posted on the Nextdoor app.

Monarch Waystation and Certified (OK and National) Wildlife Habitat