I don’t believe it will come as a shock to anyone that this pandemic has put a damper on my already dampened spirits. As an immunocompromised person, (drugs for an auto-immune thing) I’m warned frequently to stay home, even tho I’m vaccinated, even tho I wear a mask anytime I go anywhere, and even tho everyone I know has also been poked. I’m not going to go into how this ennui manifests its self, but to say that I just haven’t been ME for quite a while now.
Not any more!
I have a plan! I have a PURPOSE!
I’m going to start a farm! A butterfly farm! It’ll be called HELLO BUTTERFLY FARM!
I have my eye on a little parcel in the Wallisville/Anahuac area, where wild birds, wild bees, and wild butterflies fly. There we will grow lemons, limes, oranges, satsumas, grapes, and other produce, and we will have chickens and ducks who will give us their eggs. But the REAL purpose of the farm will be to plant lots and lots of butterfly host plants, (like milkweed, dill, parsley, the above mentioned citrus, spicebush, passion vine…) and lots and lots of native and nectar rich wildflowers for the pollinators! We love our pollinators, but all too often they are overlooked, and overrun by our so-called progress. Construction of homes, roads, businesses, refineries, EVERYTHING means less food for the Monarchs and bumbles. And since one out of every 3 bites of food we eat is dependent on pollinators, we gotta do something! At Hello Butterfly Farm we will show how to garden holistically, with care, and with community. In addition to the wildflower garden (which will be the largest garden on the property) there will also be space for a cut-your-own bouquet garden, and an herb garden with even more host/nectar plants. We will have greenhouses with butterflies in various stages of their life cycle so folks can get up close and personal with the beauty of these amazing creatures.
The property has a large house which will serve as a B&B, suitable for bird-watchers in the fall, and perhaps folks attending a wedding at the gorgeous new venue that is just down the road. The house also has space that can be used as a photography studio, a retail space where we will showcase our goods as well as local artists, and maybe even a gathering spot of small parties and showers. The space can also serve as a classroom; I’m thinking cooking, cake decorating, gardening, canning, crafting, bird watching, (some will also have outdoor components, obviously). Anybody wanna teach a pottery throwing class?
We will also have some freeze dryers so we can preserve as much food as possible, cutting down on waste. Freeze dried foods have a much longer shelf life than dehydrated or even canned foods, up to 25-30 years! You may see us at weekend farmer’s markets with our freeze-dried chili, soups, stews and such, as well as herb mixes, and my famous pralines! Ok, the pralines won’t be “dried”.
Later down time’s winding road I’m hoping we can add a couple of small cottages, (they will be blue!) and a lovely pavilion where we can accommodate small weddings. We are also hoping to acquire enough of the surrounding land so that we can work toward restoring it to a “pocket prairie”, ridding it of any invasives, (buh-bye Tallow trees!) and prodding it along to it’s former Gulf Coast Prairie state. We are also hoping to include a sort of a wetland pond as a part of it.
Of course, there will also be events! In the spring we will have a Fairy Festival, where we will welcome the return of the Monarchs, have a fairy parade, drink fairy potions and eat fairy cakes, and dance around a maypole! Won’t that be fun? In the fall we will have our Goodbye Butterflies event, as we wish the monarchs a bon voyage as they fly through our area on their way to central Mexico. And we will prepare for their return by making seed balls that will include host plants and nectar flowers.
We will compost as much as possible, collect rainwater for irrigation, reduce, reuse, recycle… and so much more! I want this farm to be engaging, a place where we can all learn, (and believe me, I have lots and lots to learn!). I’m going to need all the help I can get, especially encouragement!
When we save our planet, we save ourselves.
Hello Butterfly! 