Marion Garden Club members were treated to a program on caterpillar identification by Erin Garrett at their July 20 meeting.
Garrett, an Extension educator with the Metropolis Office of the U of I Extension Service, said caterpillars are the larva stage of butterflies or moths. They can be beneficial or destructive. The caterpillars can be identified by color, body pattern, hair, and extra adornments such as tail, horns and branched spines. Further, caterpillars usually molt five times before making a cocoon and pupating into a butterfly or moth. Each type of caterpillar has host plants that they feed on, with native plants being the most important.
Garrett showed pictures of various butterflies and moths and noted the characteristics of each one. She provided handouts about appropriate native plants, plants for woodland/shade gardens and plants for pollinator gardens.
The Marion Garden Club/Lorraine Highlander Scholarship was formally presented to Bailey Long, daughter of Steve and Kristy Long. Although she was announced the winner of the scholarship at Marion High School's Scholarship night, she was presented with a $1,000 check at the meeting, with $500 coming from the club and $500 from the estate of Highlander, a charter member of the club.
Garden therapy chairman Mary Helen Yeck reported that she, Linda Minnis, Lynn Love, Connie Hays and Sheila Dingrando visited Fifth Season Residential, on July 11 to do a project with residents. After an icebreaker of showing and talking about herbs provided by Yeck, they helped residents attending the program make "windmills in a pot." Windmills were made from paper cards, buttons and a wooden dowel.
Two windmills were put into a pot containing a block of florist foam. and florist moss was added along with artificial flowers or seashells to decorated around the windmills.
After the program, club members made "windmills in a pot" for all residents unable to attend. Employees of the facility placed those on a stage in the cafeteria for everyone to see before giving to the residents.
In other committee reports, conservation chairman Ronda McWilliams provided a handout on using eggshells, which contain calcium and phosphate, in the garden as a fertilizer. Horticulture co-chairman Mary Helen Yeck talked about ornamental grasses, and ornithology chairman Kathy Belletire provided an interesting handout on the great blue heron.
President Debbie Lattuca read several thank-you notes for financial donations, including one from National Garden Clubs, Inc. for their Running Waters Project and one from Marion Carnegie Library. She noted that a thank-you regarding the June Garden Tour had been sent to the club as well as to several homeowners on the tour.
Pictures of the events noted above and information about the club can be found at mariongardenclubofillinois.weebly.com.
