A special thanks to the volunteers that maintained the refuge monarch and pollinator gardens.
The final garden workday was held on October 26. Dr Laurie Fox was there to guide volunteers through the planting of 150 new milkweed plants, thinning some of the species in the pollinator garden and removing unwanted weeds. We had enough extra thinned plants that the volunteers were able to take a few home for their own gardens.
The pollinator garden has just gone through its third full season and has matured nicely. The monarch garden has finished its second full season and seems to be doing well despite the loss of some of the milkweed this summer.
While the monarch garden is overwintering, we will be installing a barrier to prevent the intrusion of wild plants on the back side and grasses on the sides of the garden.
Dr Fox will be evaluating both gardens in the spring to determine what replacement plants will be needed. Laurie is of the opinion that both gardens are doing really well and will continue to mature and flourish due to the efforts of the maintenance team volunteers.
Dr. Barry Kurzer, garden project manager and board member
Garden Maintenance team
The gardens are doing well thanks to the efforts of the Garden Maintenance team and with a little help from mother nature. We have approximately 20 volunteers who rotate weekly to weed and water the gardens. The 2024 maintenance program has just passed the halfway mark of our season and has provided well over 100 hours of service provided to the program by our volunteers.
The pictures below will give you some evidence as to how well the Monarch Waystation garden has done. The first picture is of the garden in late June of last year. The second picture is how the garden looks this summer. The garden is attracting large numbers of Monarchs and a wide range of other butterflies and insects. Recently the first Monarch chrysalis was discovered.
Monarch Garden June 2023
Spring garden maintenance
Monarch Garden
On May 25, 2024 volunteers planted an additional 150 plants in the monarch garden. Thanks to the efforts of Society volunteers Mark Gorny, Patrick Johnson, Jean Glendon, Denise Nichols, Linda Partin and gardens coordinator Barry Kurzer, society board member.
Pollinator Garden
One June 1, 2024 Society volunteers Stacy and Mitch McCallister and Mark and Cindy Gorny and gardens coordinator Barry Kurzer, society board member weeded the pollinator garden
On Saturday October 21, 2023, volunteer consultant, Laurie Fox, PhD, Research Associate, Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Hampton Roads AREC) directed the fall maintenance of the refuge monarch garden. Volunteers pulled weeds. An additional 200 plant plugs were planted to fill in areas where previous plants did not come back. And pollinator garden thinned plants were transplanted in the monarch garden.
Garden signs installed
The Back Bay NWR Society produced and installed interpretive signs for both the monarch and pollinator gardens at the refuge.
Plant It and They Will Come
Photos by: Dr. Barry Kurzer
Last Fall your Society created a new Monarch Waystation Garden at the Refuge Visitor Center. The new garden is a complement to the Pollinator Garden that was planted by the Society in the fall of 2021. As you may know, Monarch butterflies have suffered a drastic reduction in population in the last 30 years. Some estimates indicate a population decline of 90%. The most common reason cited for this dramatic decline is loss of habitat. Given the success of the pollinator garden and the fact that Back Bay is on the Monarch’s eastern migratory flyway, it was decided to put in a monarch specific garden at the Refuge.
The new monarch garden was created by clearing a grassy spot surrounding the bee hotel. Approximately 1,000 plants plugs were planted by volunteers last October. Plants installed included two species of milkweed, common milkweed and swamp milkweed.
Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat. It is thought that the decrease in milkweed due to residential and industrial development is the major cause of the monarch’s decline. Four additional varieties of native pollinators were planted to provide food for the monarch butterflies.
The gardens are tended weekly by teams of volunteers. The 20 people volunteering to do this are divided into 4 teams with each team visiting the garden once a month. The volunteers do a great job of weeding and watering and keeping the gardens looking nice for Refuge visitors. We are always looking for additional garden volunteers. If you are interested in helping, contact Barry Kurzer at drblkurzer@gmail.com
Both new gardens have thrived at the Refuge as seen in the attached photos. There are numerous pollinators and loads of monarchs any time you visit. Please, come out to the Refuge and enjoy the gardens!
Posted: October 12, 2024 by Back Bay NWR Society
Monarch & Pollinator Gardens
Final Garden Maintenance 2024
A special thanks to the volunteers that maintained the refuge monarch and pollinator gardens.
The final garden workday was held on October 26. Dr Laurie Fox was there to guide volunteers through the planting of 150 new milkweed plants, thinning some of the species in the pollinator garden and removing unwanted weeds. We had enough extra thinned plants that the volunteers were able to take a few home for their own gardens.
The pollinator garden has just gone through its third full season and has matured nicely. The monarch garden has finished its second full season and seems to be doing well despite the loss of some of the milkweed this summer.
While the monarch garden is overwintering, we will be installing a barrier to prevent the intrusion of wild plants on the back side and grasses on the sides of the garden.
Dr Fox will be evaluating both gardens in the spring to determine what replacement plants will be needed. Laurie is of the opinion that both gardens are doing really well and will continue to mature and flourish due to the efforts of the maintenance team volunteers.
Dr. Barry Kurzer, garden project manager and board member
Garden Maintenance team
The gardens are doing well thanks to the efforts of the Garden Maintenance team and with a little help from mother nature. We have approximately 20 volunteers who rotate weekly to weed and water the gardens. The 2024 maintenance program has just passed the halfway mark of our season and has provided well over 100 hours of service provided to the program by our volunteers.
The pictures below will give you some evidence as to how well the Monarch Waystation garden has done. The first picture is of the garden in late June of last year. The second picture is how the garden looks this summer. The garden is attracting large numbers of Monarchs and a wide range of other butterflies and insects. Recently the first Monarch chrysalis was discovered.
Spring garden maintenance
On May 25, 2024 volunteers planted an additional 150 plants in the monarch garden. Thanks to the efforts of Society volunteers Mark Gorny, Patrick Johnson, Jean Glendon, Denise Nichols, Linda Partin and gardens coordinator Barry Kurzer, society board member.
One June 1, 2024 Society volunteers Stacy and Mitch McCallister and Mark and Cindy Gorny and gardens coordinator Barry Kurzer, society board member weeded the pollinator garden
Fall garden maintenance
Posted: October 31, 2023 by Back Bay NWR Society
On Saturday October 21, 2023, volunteer consultant, Laurie Fox, PhD, Research Associate, Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Hampton Roads AREC) directed the fall maintenance of the refuge monarch garden. Volunteers pulled weeds. An additional 200 plant plugs were planted to fill in areas where previous plants did not come back. And pollinator garden thinned plants were transplanted in the monarch garden.
Garden signs installed
The Back Bay NWR Society produced and installed interpretive signs for both the monarch and pollinator gardens at the refuge.
Plant It and They Will Come
Photos by: Dr. Barry Kurzer
Last Fall your Society created a new Monarch Waystation Garden at the Refuge Visitor Center. The new garden is a complement to the Pollinator Garden that was planted by the Society in the fall of 2021. As you may know, Monarch butterflies have suffered a drastic reduction in population in the last 30 years. Some estimates indicate a population decline of 90%. The most common reason cited for this dramatic decline is loss of habitat. Given the success of the pollinator garden and the fact that Back Bay is on the Monarch’s eastern migratory flyway, it was decided to put in a monarch specific garden at the Refuge.
The new monarch garden was created by clearing a grassy spot surrounding the bee hotel. Approximately 1,000 plants plugs were planted by volunteers last October. Plants installed included two species of milkweed, common milkweed and swamp milkweed.
Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat. It is thought that the decrease in milkweed due to residential and industrial development is the major cause of the monarch’s decline. Four additional varieties of native pollinators were planted to provide food for the monarch butterflies.
The gardens are tended weekly by teams of volunteers. The 20 people volunteering to do this are divided into 4 teams with each team visiting the garden once a month. The volunteers do a great job of weeding and watering and keeping the gardens looking nice for Refuge visitors. We are always looking for additional garden volunteers. If you are interested in helping, contact Barry Kurzer at drblkurzer@gmail.com
Both new gardens have thrived at the Refuge as seen in the attached photos. There are numerous pollinators and loads of monarchs any time you visit. Please, come out to the Refuge and enjoy the gardens!