Donna Kay in her butterfly garden
Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed
Host: Purple Passion Vine
Gold Rim Swallowtail on Dutchmans Pipevine
Master Gardener Donna Kay will give a PowerPoint presentation about butterfly
gardens on Monday, October 9, at 12:30 p.m. at the meeting of the Calusa Garden
Club of Marco Island at Rose Hall at the Marco Island library. The public is
invited to join the meeting for Kay’s presentation at 12:30 p.m.
Kay’s program will include informational handout material as well as an
opportunity to ask questions. At the conclusion of the program at Rose Hall, CGC
Butterfly Garden Chairperson Susan LaGrotta will lead a tour of the butterfly
garden on Winterberry Drive, providing some history and future plans for the
space.
Kay has been a Master Gardener in Collier County for 20 years, and started
butterfly gardens at the Extension Center, Rookery Bay and other community
areas. She has maintained a Florida friendly yard, planting nectar and host plants to
attract a variety of native butterflies. For many years Kay was a docent in the
butterfly garden at the Naples Botanical Garden. Kay is a member of the Calusa
Garden Club on Marco, helping at our Butterfly Garden in Calusa Park.
Susan LaGrotta has been a resident of Marco Island after moving from Long Island
26 years ago and a member of the Calusa Garden Club since 2012. On Long
Island, Susan had extensive experience in community beautification, serving as
project manager for planting beds in two public spaces. As a member of The City
of Marco Island Beautification Advisory Committee (2005-2020), LaGrotta was
tasked with the design of a butterfly garden by Chairperson Syd Mellinger
(member of the Calusa Garden Club) to be installed in Calusa Park. Presently
LaGrotta works with a committee of volunteers to maintain the butterfly garden.