Over the past few weeks, there have been plenty of swallowtail caterpillars on our parsley at the elementary school garden. You can see at least 6 in this photo I took this morning. So a few days ago, the 2 year olds picked a few and brought them inside to live inside their butterfly house and watch them change into butterflies.
The kids have been picking them fresh parsley every day and have put two sticks inside for when they are ready to turn into a chrysalis.
And yesterday was the big day. The first caterpillar spun its cocoon...and the kids went wild. Alex was so excited about it, she could barely tell me what happened.
Here is a picture of the chrysalis hanging off of the stick. You can see the silk string which anchors it to the stick.
The kids have been taking close looks all day and today the smaller two year olds in the next class down went and got their caterpillars.I am so glad to see them all so connected to the garden. The older kids (5 yo) always have because they go out to water and pick vegetables. But it is wonderful to see that even the littlest ones get excited by going out there, and can remember everything their teacher tells them about how caterpillars turn into butterflies.
You're never too young to garden!
Friday, October 23, 2009
Waiting for the big costume change...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Elementary school garden on the rise
The elementary school garden is just starting and it is definitely a whole new ballgame from the preschool garden. The preschoolers are able to help in small ways and it is a wonderful sensory experience for them. But the elementry school garden will be the kid's doing the work. With the help of a local garden club, we planted two demonstration beds that shows the wonderful plants that can withstand deer as well as handle part shade.
This is an exciting project for me, but also a little scary since you just set the class levels free to do whatever they want. And lets face it...I'm a bit of a control freak. (silence) I know, you would have never thought that, right? (silence)
But the demo beds look great and we have given the teachers lots of ideas for themes for their class beds and plant lists that are deer resistant and shade-tolerant. So keep your fingers crossed. At least the rain is making the maintenance easy.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A garden tour not to be missed!
FYI to all gardeners or those who need to be inspired to whip yours into shape. This weekend is the Inside Austin Gardens tour presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a wonderful tour showcasing 6 Austin gardens.
The theme this year is sustainable gardening for urban wildlife. All the gardens are National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitats attracting animals, hummingbirds and butterflies for the whole neighborhood to see and enjoy. The spaces are designed using native plants and sustainable gardening practices. There are 6 gardens on the tour, all maintained by the homeowners themselves. The event includes garden tours and educational seminars at each location, including: Gardening to Attract Birds; Plant Magnets for Butterflies and Hummingbirds; and Adapted & Native Plants in Your Landscape.
Tickets are $10 for all 6 gardens (or $5 per garden if you visit just 1) and can be purchased at any home on the tour. You can visit this website to view the brochure and see a map of where the gardens are located.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
October Bloom Day
Friday, October 2, 2009
The okra that ate New York
Thursday, October 1, 2009
And then I bought him an aluminium bucket...
May I digress from the garden for a post...?
Friday is our 10th wedding anniversary. I could go on and on about how much has happened in 10 years and how things have changed but stayed the same and love grows and kids kick your ass, but lets get on to the important stuff. Like what are we getting each other for our anniversary. It's a biggie, after all.
Well, the powers that be, lame as they are, decided that the 10th anniversary gift should be tin. Tin, really? I mean, what am I supposed to get him? A can of soup? OK, moving on. The modern tradition for 10 years is aluminum...wait...C'MON!!!! I mean, who are these idiots? Tin and aluminum? Who were they- Alcoa stockholders?
Well, screw that. John and I are declaring a new tradition for 10 year anniversaries. Behold, the iPhone anniversary. That's right, we bought each other iPhones. And we will celebrate our anniversary by sitting close and staring adoringly into our iPhones while we download all the greatest applications. And send cutesy text messages to each other. Because THAT my friends is love.
Today's the big day...
I agreed to help out with the new garden they are building at my son's elementary. And then I agreed to create an information packet that will be handed out to the teacher's helping them to understand why the PTA built the garden, what they can do with it, and give them some direction on gardening so the plants don't all die or get eaten by the deer.
So I have been working for a week on the packet and I'm really excited to present it today to the committee. It contains:
- Introduction to the garden
- FAQ on the garden (the what, why, where and how)
- Info on our gardening buddies (parents) program
- Garden planning sheet for the teachers to help them create a garden plan
- Ideas for garden themes with suggested plants
- Gardening tips and maintenance
- Ideas to integrate garden into curriculum areas
- Suggested plant list
Of course, I'm trying to lower my expectations from thinking they will say "My god, you are a gardening genius. " because you know that never happens when you present something. There always has to be some thumbprints applied to your creation. So I would settle for "Nice job. What about...." That's all I need...just some sort of tiny recognition that I have worked hard on this and checked and verified information 100 different ways to make sure it is right.
Finally, I just have to say thanks for all of the great info I have gotten from Austin Garden Bloggers and Travis County Master Gardeners that I have called on. What a great support system! You guys rock.


