Milkweed Monday submitted by Katherine McRae of Norman, OK

"I took this photo in Norman, OK at her home garden on Sept. 26, 2020. We've been gardening for a while and had a large patch of king salvia which were enjoyed by bees and butterflies. In spring of 2020, we established a pollinator garden in an area which became available after we removed a diseased maple tree. We transplanted the salvia, planted milkweed and enjoyed lots of bees, butterflies, humming birds and even wasps. We were very excited to have monarch chrysallis. We've added more native plants and hope to attract even more monarchs this year. Milkweed is my favorite pollinator plant since it's used by monarchs as a food source and for reproduction. As a native Oklahoman, I've always enjoyed seeing them as they migrate, especially in the fall. I remember times when there were virtually swarms of them, and it's sad to see the decline in numbers. So I'm very happy to help contribute to their survival and encourage others to do the same." - Katherine McRaie

Terrific Gardens at Home Tuesday submitted by Jessica Nelson of Oklahoma City

"This photo was taken of my container garden at my house in Edmond, OK late fall 10/2020. I have been a life long gardener because of my mom. She always grew flowers and had a tomato plant or two, but I really got into it myself about 5 years ago. I love container gardening because anyone can have a garden anywhere they want. I love monarch butterflies because of their larger size and pattern of colors. I think it is so cool the specific plants they have for host plants versus nectar plants. They are fun to watch and important for the world. My favorite pollinator plant is a tough one because I love all milkweeds and I like trying new varieties every year. I got two hairy ball milkweed plants for this year. I also love that the monarch is the veggie gardener friend because it like certain vegetable and herb plants too" - Jessica Nelson

Wildflower Wednesday submitted by Stephanie Jordan of Oklahoma City

"This photo was taken on 5/17/20 at the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. I have been planting for pollinators for about 10 years. A fellow beekeeper friend helped me develop a better understanding about monarchs, and once I started raising them, that interest became a deep fascination and I have tried to learn as much as possible about them, and to bring others on board. My favorite pollinator plant is Tithonia, which is also known as Mexican Sunflower. It gets rather large and produces tons of flowers late in the summer when many blooms have already played out. All manor of pollinators visit it, including hummingbirds, even though the bloom is not a shape we might associate with hummingbirds. Monarchs absolutely love it, and I will often see more than one monarch on a bloom!" - Stephanie Jordan

Family Friday submitted by Sheena Johnson of Duncan, OK

"That’s my daughter, Blaine! Her favorite part is releasing them . I took this photo in Duncan, OK in Fall 2019. It’s older, but one of my favorites. I’ve been planting for pollinators for three years. My friend’s dad worked for ODOT and helped initiate their monarch conservation program. My friend also worked for ODOT and was involved with it when her dad retired. Her and her dad got my family into it. I love the honeyvine (or sand vine) milkweed, I think it’s beautiful." - Sheena Johnson