New Callippe Siver Spot colony

[Anne Kilmer]

Mark Walker wrote:
> 
snip
  While I agree that nothing can
> really replace the natural habitat, what do we do while the last remaining
> habitat is being drawn and quartered - nothing?  Attempting to stop
> development is noble, but should we stop there?  Why would we not at least
> ATTEMPT to propagate foodplant to new (or old, restored) locations?
> 
> My only point is that someone should be trying it.  But then, I'm sure as
> the heck not doing it.
> 
> Mark Walker.
> Freezing in Massachusetts.
> 
We should of course be propagating food plants, restoring and creating
habitat, teaching other gardeners how to respect and take care of
natural sites. 
Too little, too late, but the best we can do.
Educating folks is the most important part. I remember one nice
schoolteacher who planned to bulldoze a field of saw palmettos to plant
her butterfly garden ... how well-intentioned, and how disastrous her
plan would have been. 
I think I have two biggish fields of what used to be fossil dune,
probably scrub jay habitat turned into lawn and now reverting to nature,
in downtown West Palm Beach. (I mean the fields are there, and I think
we have permission to use them as garden.)
They will, of course, be wildflower meadow gradually reverting to scrub
oak and sand pine, and I'll get the local native plants experts to help
me. All in vain, unless the meadow is  linked to other similar areas all
along the fossil dune, along which scrub jay populations can expand. 
I will of course add plenty of coontie, in hopes that the atala (Eumaeus
atala) will find the place worthy. I will not add the atala ... but I
bet someone will. It's a managed species now. 
There's a native lupine that must be seeded in the ground ... someone
will find me seeds. Scrub takes forever to grow, but we have forever.
The site is in the middle of a hospital's sprawl, and Heaven knows what
is eventually going to happen to it, but the administration so far seems
persuadable. In fact, the garden was their idea. 
Mark, to plant a wilderness, you begin by gathering seeds and planting
them ... just a couple from each plant, in spots where you've removed
alien nasties. I have some ragweed and a ratty old ligustrum hedge that
are mine to replace ... and on-site sources for rattlebox and
sickle-seed senna, dune sunflowers, golden aster, passiflora suberosa,
ground cherries ...   
Well, actually, you begin by getting the landowner's permission.
Miracles can be had for the asking. 
You can go seed snitching in winter, although your ice storm may have
made that a touch difficult. 

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Go, Mark, go. 
Anne Kilmer
South Florida