Tonya Reed has always been a flower gardener. But somewhere along the way, her garden became something more than a collection of pretty plants.

It became a classroom, a wildlife refuge and, occasionally, a front-row seat to things most of us miss because we are too busy pulling weeds.

Reed at one point found herself watching something remarkable happen in her garden. She watched a monarch caterpillar go through the entire process - from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.

“I watched the whole process,” she said. Once you’ve see that miracle, it becomes a little harder to look at your garden the same way.

“The more I learned about monarchs, the more I wanted to know and do.”

Reed began building her own butterfly garden after an advocacy training. It was there she learned about not mowing weeds and how close monarchs were to extinction at that time. That meeting motivated her to find out more about these delicate creatures.

She took all the experience and education from building her personal garden to building a butterfly garden at Southview Park. That butterfly garden has grown into a place intentionally designed to support pollinators and other wildlife.

What was one garden three years ago has become three gardens, a gazebo, and a Pollinator Meadow. Each year Tonya picks some of the staples and sprinkles in a few new plants to bring in more butterflies…..READ MORE….