Counting down...

SPRING OPEN HOUSE & PLANT FUNDRAISER
Saturday, 12 May 2012 - 8a to 3p

A big THANK YOU goes out to everyone that helped make this year's spring event a huge success!

We do have some plants still available (see the updated plant list below) - if you were unable to make it here on Saturday or have decided you need more plants, please feel free to stop by Monarch Watch from 3-6pm this week and we'll hook you up. Again, a modest contribution of $3 for annuals and $4 for perennials is suggested.

Ready to start a butterfly garden or improve the one you have? If so, come visit us at Monarch Watch for our annual Spring Open House & Plant Fundraiser.

We will have more than 5,000 butterfly plants (both annuals and perennials), including seedlings of nine milkweed varieties. These plants are ideal for starting butterfly gardens or adding to established gardens. Monarch numbers have been declining and we need to plant milkweeds to sustain the monarch migration. Modest contributions are suggested for the plants. A list of available plants appears below.

Refreshments will be provided. There will be games for the children and they can make "seed balls" containing seeds of milkweeds and other butterfly plants that can be used to create habits for monarchs and other butterflies. They can also watch the queen bee lay eggs in our honeybee observation hive, see scary insects and spiders, or watch videos. All are welcome to tour our garden and lab space. We will have live videoconferencing demonstrations, and, of course, monarch butterflies! You all know that the chrysalis of the monarch is green, right? How about pink? Yes, pink. We have some that are pink and some caterpillars that are black instead of striped. Come and see these interesting monarch mutations.

You can also see the monarchs that traveled 40 million miles space shuttles and the International Space Station during the "Monarchs In Space Program." How did the monarch caterpillars do in the microgravity of space? Did they feed? Were they able to "hang up" to form a chrysalis, and were they able to emerge and expand their wings in an environment in which there is no up or down? Come to Monarch Watch to learn more about this unique educational project.

We'd love to see you on Saturday so mark your calendars! If you can't make it in person, be sure to check us out online - we plan to post photos and broadcast some LIVE video throughout the day.

DONATE NOW! (pretty please)

If you enjoy the various educational, conservation, and research programs Monarch Watch offers throughout the year, please consider making a donation today - it's quick, easy, secure, and fully tax-deductible. You can even set up a recurring gift (monthly or annually) if you'd like. We rely on contributions from Monarch Watchers just like you to keep the program going - thank you for your continued support!

Donate

If you would rather mail in a donation or have questions, please visit Giving in Support of Monarch Watch.

LIVE BROADCAST

We'll continue to experiment with broadcasting live video - see what's going on here:

Monarch Watch LIVE OFFLINE

*Note: to view our live video broadcasts, you must have the Adobe Flash Player (a free player that you may already have) installed on your computer. If you do not have it, you should be prompted to install it - or you can just get it yourself here:

PHOTOS & COMMENTS VIA FACEBOOK

We are sharing photos and comments throughout the day via our Facebook page - you do not need a Facebook account to view the page, only if you you want to share your own photos or comments. Enjoy!

find us on facebook

DIRECTIONS TO MONARCH WATCH

Monarch Watch is located on the West Campus of the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.

KU West Campus Map showing Monarch Watch (Foley Hall)

via I-70 Turnpike:

Take West Lawrence exit and continue South on IOWA street. At the 19th Street stoplight turn RIGHT (west). At "T" turn LEFT (south). Proceed past the stop sign (after stopping of course!) and then turn right into a parking lot (you'll see a large Greenhouse at the end of the lot) and find a place to park ;-) Foley Hall is the one-story building that will be on your right.

via westbound K-10: K-10 turns into 23rd street in Lawrence. Continue West on 23rd until you reach IOWA street. At the stoplight turn RIGHT (north) and continue to 19th Street. At the 19th Street stoplight turn LEFT (west). At "T" turn LEFT (south). Proceed past the stop sign (after stopping of course!) and then turn right into a parking lot (you'll see a large Greenhouse at the end of the lot) and find a place to park ;-) Foley Hall is the one-story building that will be on your right.


View Larger Map

2012 PLANT LIST

All of the plants listed below would be excellent choices to use in creating your very own Monarch Waystation butterfly garden/habitat. The milkweeds are of course the host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars and all of the plants are nectar sources for monarch butterflies and other wildlife.

Once you have created your Monarch Waystation, be sure to have it certified by Monarch Watch so that your habitat will be included in our Monarch Waystation Registry - an online listing of habitats all over the globe!

Plant list and availability - updated 14 May 2012; Good=20 or more plants, Limited=less than 20 plants.

Photo Common Name Botanical Name Annual/Perennial Availability Details
Tropical Milkweed Asclepias curassavica Annual Good More info...
Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata Perennial Good More info...
White Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' Perennial n/a More info...
Balloonplant Milkweed Asclepias physocarpa Annual Good More info...
Showy Milkweed Asclepias speciosa Perennial n/a  
Sullivant's Milkweed Asclepias sullivantii Perennial Good  
Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca Perennial Good More info...
Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Perennial Good  
Butterfly Milkweed Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow' Perennial Limited  
Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata Perennial n/a More info...
Spider Milkweed Asclepias viridis Perennial Good  
Anise Hyssop Agastache x hybrida 'Blue Fortune' Perennial Limited More info...
New England Aster Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' Perennial n/a More info...
Tatarian Aster Aster tarticus 'Jindai' Perennial n/a More info...
False Blue Indigo Baptisia australis 'Blue Indigo' Perennial Good More info...
Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii 'White Profuson' Perennial Good More info...
Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii 'Black Knight' Perennial Good  
White Cloud Calamint Calamintha nepatoides ssp. glandulosa 'White Cloud' Perennial n/a More info...
Blue Mist Spirea Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Dark Knight' Perennial Good More info...
Prairie Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata Perennial Good  
Blue Bells Delphinium 'Belladonna' Perennial Limited  
Foxglove Digitalis 'Camelot Rose' Perennial n/a  
Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum 'Gateway' Perennial n/a More info...
Blue Mistflower Eupatorium coelestinum Perennial n/a  
Fennel Foeniculum vulgare Perennial Good More info...
Rose Verbena Glandularia canadensis Perennial Good  
Willow-leaved Sunflower Helianthus salicifolius 'First Light' Perennial n/a More info...
Lantana Lantana camara 'Athens Rose' Annual Good More info...
Lantana Lantana camara 'Carlos' Annual Good More info...
Lantana Lantana camara 'Dallas Red' Annual n/a More info...
Lantana Lantana camara 'Spreading Sunset' Annual Limited More info...
Prairie Blazing Star Liatris pycnostachya Perennial Limited  
Bee Balm Monarda didyma 'Jacob Cline' Perennial n/a More info...
Rigid Goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidium Perennial Limited  
Pentas Pentas lanceolata 'Cranberry Punch' Annual Limited  
Pentas Pentas lanceolata 'Ruby Glow' Annual Limited More info...
Pentas Pentas lanceolata 'Starburst' Annual Good More info...
Common Rue Ruta graveolens Perennial Limited More info...
Blue Sage Salvia azurea Perennial n/a  
Sage Salvia x 'Eveline' Perennial n/a  
Pincushion Flower Scabiosa x 'Butterfly Blue' Perennial Limited More info...
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia Annual n/a More info...
Tall Verbena Verbena bonariensis Perennial n/a More info...
Blue Vervain Verbena hastata Perennial n/a  
Golden Alexander Zizia aurea Perennial Limited  

monarch waystations