Black Swallowtail on flower
The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County, in association with the University of Tennessee Extension, continue their third Saturday Gardening Classes, which are now offered in person and online via Zoom. The next class takes place this Saturday at 10 a.m. with “Building a Butterfly Nursery,” presented by Master Gardeners Becky Donaldson and Kym Martin.
MGHC’s third Saturday Gardening Classes are free to the public and take place at the UT-Hamilton County Extension, 6183 Adamson Circle, off Bonny Oaks Drive in Chattanooga.
To sign up to attend in person or to register for the Zoom link here.
"Newly minted Master Gardeners and nature lovers Becky Donaldson and Kym Martin will share their experience, knowledge and passion for raising butterflies," officials said. "As part of their presentation, they will demonstrate how to build butterfly enclosures with a few readily available materials, so we can all raise butterflies and increase their population.
"Focusing on Black Swallowtails and Monarchs, they will also provide information about host plants, the butterfly life cycle, how to spot eggs and caterpillars and how to release them into the wild.
"Becky's yard is both a Certified Monarch Waystation and Wildlife Habitat. Passionate about wildlife, she has been an intern at the Birmingham Zoo, Docent at the TN Aquarium and currently volunteers at a local wildlife rescue center.
"Kym has been raising Monarch's for three years and released sixty-five last year. She is working towards certifying her garden as a Monarch Waystation and is persuading her neighbors to let her plant native milkweed in their yards.
"Please join us and feel free to bring a medium size or larger flower pot with potting soil and a tomato cage to build your own enclosure on the spot."
Monarch on flower