Jim Struebing of New Holland is surrounded by coneflowers in his restored prairie plot. His garden, as well as that of Mona Maas of Elkhart, have been certified as Bird and Butterfly Sanctuaries by the Illinois Audubon Society and were featured in the Summer issue of Illinois Audubon Magazine.

Struebing and Maas enjoy creating pollinator gardens
Still time to register for Master Naturalist Core Education program

[August 23, 2019]   This is a great time of year to enjoy watching butterflies and other pollinators visit garden plants. Gardeners looking to expand their selection of pollinator plants should consider visiting local prairies such as Kickapoo Creek Park, and Creekside Environmental Center. Also, take a stroll through your neighborhood and check out what other gardeners have done in their yards.

Everyone can create a pollinator habitat. A pollinator garden can be as small as a container with zinnias and alyssum, to a flower garden, to several acres of prairie. Pollinator gardens should be located in a full sun location, sheltered from the wind and provide nectar and pollen plants, and larval food sources. Once you have create pollinator habitat consider registering the garden with one of several pollinator projects.

Two Logan county gardeners have developed projects on their properties that are not only attractive landscaping but also provide habitat for wild birds and butterflies. In 2017, Mona Maas of Elkhart, and Jim and Anne Struebing of New Holland, registered their gardens to became Illinois Audubon Certified Society Bird and Butterfly Sanctuaries. Maas and Struebing recommend starting small and gradually transforming traditional gardens to native plantings.

They cite the many online resources, such as the Illinois Audubon Society website, https://illinoisaudubon.org/
programs/bird-butterfly-sanctuary-certification/  and the University of Illinois Extension wildflowers website that can help in getting started with native plantings, https://web.extension.
illinois.edu/ wildflowers/intro.cfm  .

Both Maas and Jim Struebing are volunteers in the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist Program, and both cite the importance of this connection in learning how to design and implement their gardens.

For more information about the University of Illinois Extension Naturalist Core Education course, go to https://
web.extension.illinois.edu/ registration/?RegistrationID=20731.  Registration for the upcoming session can be completed online through August 25.

[Jennifer Fishburn
Horticulture Educator]