plant hi-jacking...

I'd used a bit of surveyor's tape back in the fall and tied a tourniquet around some wildflowers I wanted to mark for digging when they were dormant. But somehow never quite got around to going with my shovel, bucket (and bag to put over my head for a disguise) to retrieve the plants over the winter months. It rained a bit late this afternoon, so I thought today would be the perfect time to casually walk down the street with my digging equipment, looking innocent, and do a bit of digging on the weedy roadside near the golf course.

So I put on my ninja outfit: picture me in the green Publix shirt, camo. pants, sneaky sneakers, bright orange hat so I won't get run over - which completely destroys the efforts to skulk around in the underbrush and become invisible. Gathered up tools, and went out to dig up the butterfly weed I had been admiring for several years. Discovered that there is a little tuber underground, and hope that I got enough to successfully transplant. Came right back home in the drizzly dusk and put them in the ground.

Oddly, this little plant is something that likes to be ignored, possibly mistreated, as they do well in very poor soil, blistering sun, and seem to thrive in near-drought conditions: pretty much what happens along the right-of-way. I've learned to give everything I plant, make the effort to dig a hole and put in the ground a good start, with amendments that will improve chances of success. I hope that putting the milkweed  in good nutritious dirt and watering well, will not be detrimental.  I will try not to be too kind and considerate and won't be 'babying' them once they give me a sign they have survived being relocated. Hopefully looking forward to the possibility of bright orange blooms that will bring butterflies in droves to my back yard.

Look at www.livemonarch.com to get  free milkweed seed. These people in FL will send them to you when you mail a SASE. You can start host plants to attract butterflies who sadly will consume their host (sounds like alien life forms - so you have to remember: just innocent little caterpillars trying to turn into butterflies.) And eventually you too can save the planet!
The monarch butterflies will thank you.