Northampton Community Garden - 0/21 - Massachusetts Butterfly Club

[Barbara Volkle]

On Sunday, September 21, fourteen of us met for a walk at the
Northampton Community Gardens remembering Tom Gagnon.  Tom worked on two
large plots there for many years.  We reminisced and remembered Tom as
we walked the area.  Cedar Waxwings, Goldfinch, and Turkey Vultures flew
overhead and visitors reported migrating warblers along the gardens
wooded edge.  It was a nice way to remember Tom.

Dry conditions prevailed.  We saw:

Silver-spotted Skipper 2
Wild Indigo Duskywing 1
Eastern Tailed-blue 4
Viceroy 3
Monarch 12
Great Spangled Fritillary 1 - worn
Pearl Crescent 1
Cabbage White 40
Clouded Sulphur 30

The folks at the gardens have decided to maintain Tom's garden plots in
his memory.  They've already started by working to remove bamboo
(invasive) in one of the plots. Some verbena, zinnias, and butterfly
bushes remain. It's nice to know his butterfly gardens will go on.

We later headed over to the second community garden .  This garden has
expanded over the last couple of years. We saw:

Viceroy  3
Monarch 5
Black Swallowtail 1
Eastern Tailed-blue 3
American Lady 1
Cabbage White 30
Clouded Sulphur 9
Orange Sulphur 3

Let's do it again next year!


Barbara Volkle
Northborough, MA
bar...@theworld.com