Native Monardas

What comes to mind when you think of Monardas? The red frilly blooms of Scarlet Bee Balm? The lavender flowers of Wild Bergamot? According to the BONAP website there are six straight species of monardas native to Ohio or this region1. Depending on conditions, all can do well in the landscape, and all are attractive…

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Maintenance of Paths in the Garden

A walk on winding paths through landscape beds takes us away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. With native plants growing on either side of a wood chip path, we can appreciate what these plants add to the landscape. I usually enjoy weeding, with one exception. I detest weeding paths. I want to…

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Welcome, Monarch Butterflies!

Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) attract monarchs to the garden because they are the host plants for the caterpillars. Females lay eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves, which appear as very small white dots. The caterpillars evolved with milkweeds and are adapted to eat the foliage, which is distasteful and toxic to many other insects. Once…

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First Night of Mothing!

Last Saturday night (July 22nd), we finally set up to attract and observe moths at night. We were pretty inspired by our experiences at Mothapalooza in 2022. It is a two-day event hosted by the Arc of Appalachia with speakers, field trips, and moth observations at several sites in the evening. The observation set ups…

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Background of Catchfly Commons

Catchfly Commons is a 1.3 acre residential property on the south side of Delaware in central Ohio. It is within the Olentangy River watershed.  Catchfly Commons hosts approximately 275 species of native herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees planted in a variety of light, moisture, and soil conditions.  The property was mostly lawn with a few…

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