Growing Flowers for Butterflies and Birds at the Richland Public Library

On Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Bob Wubben from the Blooming Prairie Nursery in Carlisle, Iowa will give a presentation at the Richland Public Library on attracting butterflies and birds to your garden by planting native flowers.

Many insects depend on specific flowers to grow. For instance, the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies can only feed on the leaves of milkweeds. Without milkweeds the Monarch butterfly cannot reproduce and their populations decline. Many other insects also rely on specific “host” plants to survive and reproduce.

Many birds also rely on native plants as food sources. Birds will eat the fruit of many native plants and, even more importantly, eat the insects that are attracted by the native plants. According to the Blooming Prairie Nursery’s website, 96% of birds feed their babies insects. By attracting insects to your garden, you’ll also be naturally attracting birds.

There will be a question-and-answer session after the presentation and informational handouts will be available. There will be seeds, soil and other products available for purchase.

This free program is open to the public. For more information, please call the library (319-456-6541), email (richlib@natel.net) or visit our website (richland.lib.ia.us).