The new Butterfly Garden was just a patch of dirt at the end of 2015, waiting to see new life in the Spring of 2016. This picture was taken early summer 2016.
We decided to borrow a little of the butterfly space for vegetables. This was the spot in our shady yard that got the most sun, so we built raised beds for vegetable gardening. The counter-high level was chosen for ease of access - for us, not rabbits. And the wire sides are to slow the deer down just a little. (Oh, they still try to nibble!)
By late August (2016), one lonely but very eager cucumber plant had taken over almost one entire raised bed. We'll need to make pickles just to use up all the cucumbers it's growing. We also got a few tomatoes, a few peppers, and some herbs (fresh basil is the best!). We also got a few fresh peas earlier in the season. We need to plant more peas next year!
Ok, so we stole a little space from the butterflies. But we certainly didn't leave them with nothing to enjoy! Much of the really tall stuff toward the back is milkweed - several varieties of it - for the Monarchs.
Joy has raised several Monarchs over time, starting from discovery of eggs on the underside of a milkweed plant.
While the butterfly garden wasn't much to look at in 2015, with the garden still in development through the summer, there were a few pretty flowers to look at.
Joy managed to capture this picture about one day before the deer ate this one. We will are still experimenting with deer deterents.
