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A Group Photo of the Residents who gave up their time
on Sunday April 1st 2007 in the heat of the day to clean up the lake and organise the plants and the mulch. From
left to right on top photo are Jill, Barbara, Kristi, Tom, Beth and Mike. In bottom photo are Jill and Barbara and Tom.
Barbara and Tom served on the Board of Directors 2007. Barbara is Landscape Committee Chair with Beth. Tom was President of
the Board for many years and we lost him to his new position in Orlando. Patrick Lockyer is now President. We need community
minded people to join the group. Please contact us through this medium to be on the Email Group and be informed of matters
of importance to us all whether owners, residents or tenants. ALL residents of Mills Springs Community are affected by decisions
made by the Board and are welcome at all meetings which are usually held on the fourth Tuesday evening at 7pm at Watson
Realtors just a walk away? If you go to the meeting for the first time or are late arriving simply go to the main entrance
and we will see your arrival there. We meet in a committee room right there. Jill on
the Left of the Group has an interest in Butterflies and provided this letter in that regard. Very interesting too. Butterfly Gardening 101 Why do it? Why spend time and energy planting a garden that attracts wildlife? One of the more
obvious reasons is that it looks nice. For me, I enjoy sitting in my garden watching the butterflies float around me. It’s
also a way of giving back to the environment. The principles for attracting wildlife
are universal; Provide food/water and shelter and you will be blessed with continual visitors. In the case of butterflies,
there are some important considerations when planting your garden. Shelter For those of you living on preserve, you have
a ready-made shelter. Many of the butterflies I see are often found in woodland hammocks. Butterfly houses are popular although
some experts don’t feel they are helpful. Putting in tall grass such as Maiden Grass provides sufficient shelter and
adds interest to your garden. Food Food can be divided into 2 categories: Larval food and nectar. Butterflies have 4 stages to their
life cycle (metamorphosis) in this order: Egg, caterpillar, pupa (chrysalis) then adult. Butterflies lay eggs on a host plant.
When the eggs hatch, the host plants provide food for the caterpillars. When the caterpillars have had enough to eat, it then
makes a chrysalis and change into a Butterfly. When the Butterflies emerge from the chrysalis, they need nectar plants to
provide nourishment. The point is if you want to retain butterflies, it is a good idea
to provide plants that will allow both the caterpillars and butterflies to feed. For instance, Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively
on milkweed. The butterflies prefer milkweed nectar as well but will light on other nectar producing flowers. Each butterfly
had specific host plants and favored nectar plants. When deciding what butterflies
to attract, you will want to do some research. Start with what butterflies are native to northeast Florida then consider what
they consume. Libraries and the Internet are great resources. Take into consideration plant maintenance, budget and what plants
tolerate what light level. For instance, Pentas are fairly inexpensive, prefer full sun to part shade but are susceptible
to hard freezes. You’ll need to cover them during cold winter nights or you’ll need to replace them most years.
Other Considerations Rocks are often a part of a butterfly gardens to provide a source of heat for butterflies. Many gardeners provide
puddles so the butterflies will have a place to drink. Puddles are often just shallow containers filled with sand that is
kept moist. Both of these should be located in an open area. General Gardening I can’t stress enough to know what plants go where. If you plant a plant that needs full
sun in the shade, it will often die. Most plants that attract butterflies require full to part sun. Pesticides kill insects…including the ones you are trying to attract. Try to find natural ways of controlling
insects. For instance, ladybugs control aphids and you can buy them. If I find a particular insect seems to be getting out
of control, I will often cut a part of the plant that seems to be infested and dispose of it. The idea is not to get rid of
all pests but to have a balanced ecosystem. Before I eliminate any bug, I try to identify what it is and decide if it is helpful
or not. What’s that Bug ( http://www.whatsthatbug.com/) is an extremely helpful resource. Unless you plan on weeding all summer, consider
mulch. I prefer to keep it away from the house foundation so the risk if termite infestation is minimized. Many groups advocate gardening with native plants. If you’re a novice gardener, it’s a good place
to start. You’ll have a better success rate because the plants tend to tolerate Florida conditions. Also, maintenance
tends to be lower with these plants.
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