Welcome back to our first meeting of the 2022-2023 Garden Club year, which will take place on September 19 at 11 a.m. in the Clubhouse. We would love to welcome new members to the Garden Club at this meeting. Membership is open to all residents of Niguel Shores.
Fuchsias
We are fortunate to have Suzanne Butala, President of the Orange County Fuchsia Society, as our guest speaker. Suzanne will be sharing her profound knowledge of the history, propagation, and care of fuchsias. Please bring your own questions, successes, and failures with purchased fuchsias: we can learn from her advice and expertise.
Few flowers brighten a garden quite the same way as fuchsias. These beautiful hanging pendants come in a range of colors, resembling ballerinas in skirts! There’s an ancient superstition that the fuchsia sprang from the blood of Christ, at the foot of the cross; its pendants dangling as it hangs its head in sorrow. The French Impressionist Claude Monet painted his wife standing at an open window framed by potted fuchsias.
Monarchs
Because of concern about our diminishing Monarch butterfly population, the Garden Club has established two butterfly gardens in the Shores. It is important to note that the Monarch butterfly—the iconic North American migratory subspecies—was recently added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Endangered Species Red List.
In North America, the larger Monarch population living east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to Mexico every fall and return in the spring. Our smaller population living to the west of the Rockies spends the winter along the Pacific coast of Central and Southern California. Threats to habitat and food sources in the butterflies’ winter habitats are making this migration more difficult.
In their summer habitats, farming pesticides have killed Monarchs and the milkweed plants upon which they depend for their life cycle. Climate change is another contributor to their decline. To this end, gardeners should continue their vigilance about planting native Californian milkweeds and reducing pesticide use. It is a never-to-be forgotten experience to be amidst a cloud of butterflies!
We take a special moment in closing to express our great sadness at the passing of Lee Sweeney and Carmen Murphy, both longtime members of the Garden Club. They worked tirelessly without the need for accolade, and we laud their many contributions. Our thoughts and condolences are with their families. Rest in peace, dear friends.
—Ann Strauss
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