We have written frequently about the plight of the Monarch and what we can do as individuals to help this beloved species flourish once again. On Saturday July 11th, Klausing Group was a participant on a tour of registered Monarch Waystations (http://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/) organized by Lexington Wild Ones (http://lexington.wildones.org/). This group of native plant enthusiasts holds regular meetings and has frequent educational events. They are a fun group of very knowledgeable and welcoming people.
The Monarch Waystation tour had a total of 10 gardens to visit at mostly residential sites. Klausing Group was the only business location on the tour. The event sold 250 tickets which meant our tour guides, Dan Stever and Trenton Noel, were kept busy all day long. Visitors to our garden were surprised to discover our Monarch Waystation was integrated into an entire green infrastructure system. They got to learn how our permeable paver parking lots, vegetative roof, rain garden, and Monarch Waystation all function together to create a landscape that does more by addressing habitat for butterflies and birds, water quality, and heat island reduction. Discussions ranged from improving soil health to the historical make-up of Kentucky’s ecosystems to what the future holds for urban landscapes.
The visitors came from not only Lexington and the surrounding nearby communities, but some traveled from as far as Pulaski and Nelson Counties. The knowledge and experience of the visitors ranged from neophyte to expert. Even our senior horticulturist was able to learn a thing or two from some of the touring plant geeks. As an indication of how powerful this event was to our gardening community, visitors stayed almost two hours past the tour’s official end time to continue discussing not only beneficial insect habitat but also discussed strategies to get more green infrastructure integrated into our communities. To paraphrase Tee Bergman, the event organizer, “This was a tour to remember.”
