Graceful leaves and frilled lavender flowers, so lovely! And in bloom now at the UC Botanical Garden at the edge of the lawn. And will continue for several months. It is called Bamboo Iris because the leaves have a bamboo look to them. The leaves lay flat on the ground later in the season and root, thus enlarging the patch. The rhizomes also spread. Very easy to grow, not particular about water or soil. It prefers part shade to shady conditions.
As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, I studied Conservation of Natural Resources. I took a couple of entomology classes and became very interested in insects. After I graduated, I held several jobs working with bugs: in the fields of central California, the forests of Connecticut and Idaho, and the labs of Berkeley. Then I went to grad school and studied entomology at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley (back in the olden days when UCB had an entomology department). When my kids were little, I wanted to share my love of insects with them, so I started a butterfly garden before butterfly gardens were popular. Then of course, their teachers asked me to bring caterpillars into the classroom and I started doing classroom presentations. I do presentations in elementary schools, provide teacher trainings, teach adult school classes, and bring live insect specimens to garden fairs. My book is perfect for helping elementary school kids learn about butterflies.
No comments:
Post a Comment