A Little Pop of Color
Last summer, my children wanted to plant a butterfly garden. We drove out to Kingsdene Nursery in Monkton and picked out native flowers and plants that would attract butterflies to our yard.
I also wanted a little herb garden near the kitchen, so I picked out basil, parsley, rosemary and fennel.
We attracted a couple of butterflies here and there with the new flower garden.
But what we REALLY attracted were caterpillars. Before they transform into butterflies, monarch caterpillers love to eat fennel! They methodically went up and down the fennel stalks, cleaning off every single strand of the herb. We checked on those caterpillars several times a day. It was fascinating to watch their little mouths move as they ate. We (me) were devastated when the fennel was all gone and the caterpillars left.
A few weeks later, two monarch butterflies flew over and around us while we were on our patio. Our friends had returned to say hello!
Encaustic Wax on Birch Board, 6 x 6.
Last summer, my children wanted to plant a butterfly garden. We drove out to Kingsdene Nursery in Monkton and picked out native flowers and plants that would attract butterflies to our yard.
I also wanted a little herb garden near the kitchen, so I picked out basil, parsley, rosemary and fennel.
We attracted a couple of butterflies here and there with the new flower garden.
But what we REALLY attracted were caterpillars. Before they transform into butterflies, monarch caterpillers love to eat fennel! They methodically went up and down the fennel stalks, cleaning off every single strand of the herb. We checked on those caterpillars several times a day. It was fascinating to watch their little mouths move as they ate. We (me) were devastated when the fennel was all gone and the caterpillars left.
A few weeks later, two monarch butterflies flew over and around us while we were on our patio. Our friends had returned to say hello!
Encaustic Wax on Birch Board, 6 x 6.
Last summer, my children wanted to plant a butterfly garden. We drove out to Kingsdene Nursery in Monkton and picked out native flowers and plants that would attract butterflies to our yard.
I also wanted a little herb garden near the kitchen, so I picked out basil, parsley, rosemary and fennel.
We attracted a couple of butterflies here and there with the new flower garden.
But what we REALLY attracted were caterpillars. Before they transform into butterflies, monarch caterpillers love to eat fennel! They methodically went up and down the fennel stalks, cleaning off every single strand of the herb. We checked on those caterpillars several times a day. It was fascinating to watch their little mouths move as they ate. We (me) were devastated when the fennel was all gone and the caterpillars left.
A few weeks later, two monarch butterflies flew over and around us while we were on our patio. Our friends had returned to say hello!
Encaustic Wax on Birch Board, 6 x 6.