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NPR:
Monarch butterflies that once covered 50 square acres of forest during their summer layover in central Mexico now occupy fewer than 3 acres, according to the latest census.
The numbers of the orange-and-black butterflies have crashed in the two decades since scientists began making a rough count of them, according to Mexico’s National Commission of Natural Protected Areas.
The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers recently announced its 2013 Cut Flower of the Year winners, and Amethyst coral berry (Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii ‘Kordes’) was named as the top cut in the woody plants category. The unique shrub from Proven Winners was noted for “masses of hot pink berries which ripen into the fall.” Evaluation is based on recommendations from cut flower growers and the performance in the ASCFG trials, the only national cut flower evaluations. Plants are evaluated across all zones for hardiness, yield, and stem strength.
The Great Lakes Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society has overhauled and updated its website. You can find information about upcoming meetings, past newsletters, photos, links, and lots of interesting material here.