April Flowers Bring Happy Pollinators

April is the month to celebrate the blooms of spring and the creatures that delight in them.  The Garden Club celebrated the great outdoors by meeting at Alpine Groves to plan their participation in the Bartram Bash.  Just prior to the meeting it had rained, but thank goodness Alpine Groves now has a pavilion.






And while it looked like the Bartram Bash would be a rainout, the sun won the day, and the people that came to the park were rewarded with plenty of good music and fun.  The "birds-nest" wreaths we gave the kids to construct were a big hit again this year.  The surprise event was a visit from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, which brought a baby alligator for all the "enjoy" (or not)!   Thanks to Carolyn and Arlene for the photos!

While us humans were down by the river celebrating William Bartram, the butterflies and bees were rejoicing in the blooms at the Alpine Groves Butterfly Garden.  We know what pollinators love, and we're sharing the secret now.  See the list of native plants in our Freedom Butterfly Garden.  Plant a few and see who shows up for dinner! 

Several of our club members are also Master Gardeners.  Doris, Kathy, Arlene, and Dianne volunteered at the UF County Extension Center the weekend of April 16-17, for the EPIC Spring Flower and Garden Show.  Lots of preparation went into that event.  Read about it in the April 2016 issue of The St. Johns Sun, "An EPIC Spring Weekend."

We'll be getting together at the Needmore Ranch again this May to celebrate the end of our club season.  Until the next program meeting in September, however, we'll be busy with our individual and group activities, such as Garden Week at the library from June 6-11.  Drop by the Bartram Trail Library during the week to see some of our gardening "Best Picks" available through the library.  On June 8-9 we'll be there to meet you.  Our June website posting will provide you with more information on Garden Club Week and how you can partake in the joys of summer.

Our local monarchs are happily sailing through garden and field, unlike their long-distance migrating cousins returning from rough weather in Mexico.  See the updates on the intrepid traveling "cousins" of our local monarchs:

• Monarch Migration News, April 14 - Monarchs are arriving in Texas tattered but still looking for love in all the right places.  Many milkweed plants are reported to be hosting monarch eggs.  That's a good sign for a struggling species.
• Photos of migrating monarchs, tattered, but undaunted.