Elizabeth's Secret Garden

By: Elizabeth Mann, creator of “Elizabeth’s Secret Garden.”   The Monarch migration is a phenomenon that has baffled scientists and been a source of awe and wonder for butterfly lovers. What is it that astounds us about the Monarch migration? Is it the fact that a delicate butterfly can fly 2,000 – 2,500 miles to reach the Sierra Mountains in Mexico or how they cling to the Oyamel trees by the millions? While the Monarch is not endangered, they have suffered great losses due to loss of habitat, pesticides, weather, and logging. I posed questions to Sun Butler, Farm Educator at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, about his eye-witness experience of the Monarch migration in North Carolina and his experience of the shifting Monarch route. Eye Witness Account from Sun Butler, Farm Educator at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Q: What is the location of migration you observed? A: “Topsail Beach is where we saw the migration every year until 2,000.  I have also seen them along the Appalachi...

“I call the United States my home, but butterfly conservation efforts are taking place around the world. Butterfly Conservation in Europe is one such effort that guest blogger, John Gower has graciously offered to give us an in depth look into in this blog entry.” – Elizabeth Mann, writer and creator of Elizabeth’s Secret garden Article By Guest Blogger John Gower Butterflies are a necessary component of many good environments. They are important pollinators, indicate the ecological quality in a given habitat and make up an important component in the food chain. In exchange, they’re very rarely a threat to plants, animals or the environment. They’re beautiful, benign, and useful. Facing dangers like urbanization, pollution, industrialization and more, butterflies are facing tough times around the world, including in Europe. With all of these factors working against their survival, it’s more important than ever to work to preserve the lives of butterflies. Luckily, a number of gr...

The Black Swallowtail butterfly is one that has often been misunderstood and sadly mistaken as a pest. You may have heard it referred to as the parsley worm, but that name does not do justice to the beautiful butterfly it will become. Yes, I know that it is frustrating as a gardener or farmer to come out to see your parsley ravished by caterpillars, but I actually grow it specifically for these butterflies. If you are experiencing this, I suggest setting aside some plants for the butterflies and some for yourself. You can transfer the caterpillars to the plants you’ve designated for them and then you can have the best of both worlds! What a tragedy to kill these beautiful creatures just to have a garnish for our culinary dishes. Black Swallowtail host plants: Parsley, dill, fennel, Queen Anne’s Lace, Rue, and sometimes even cilantro and carrot leaves. Journal of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly’s Life The arrows are pointing to the spots that resemble eyes. These are a defense mec...