Gail Russell of the Alabama Clean Water Partnership spoke to our September Master Gardener meeting. She came with a very simple message but one we can all take to heart. Each of us can do something to help keep our lakes, creeks, and rivers cleaner. It is not hard, either.

A few things to remember:

Anything that goes into our storm drains goes directly into our waterways; think before you dump.

Do not pour gasoline, car oil, or liquids from any type of machinery into the ground or the storm drains. Get rid of these products by taking them to a place which recycles them.

Maintain your car so it does not leak oil. If a car leaks oil on the street, that leaking oil is washed from the street into the storm drain and eventually into our lakes, streams, and rivers.

Do not overuse pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers; do not pour unused amounts into the ground or into the storm drains. Dispose of them properly according to label instructions. Excess is washed into our groundwater and from there into our bodies of water.

Clean up after your pet. Those little packages our pets leave behind also get washed into our storm drains and pollute our waterways.

Recycle your grass clippings and leaves; do not dispose of them by putting them into the storm drains. Those kind of products can also wash into our waterways causing nutrients to build up which are bad for the health of the water.

Maintain your septic tank. That will save you money and problems and prevent leakage into the groundwater and into our bodies of water.

Use a rain barrel. The rainwater collected is so good for your plants. You will save money on your water bill and help protect our bodies of water. If you need a rain barrel, some of the big box stores sell them. The Extension Office and the Master Gardeners also sponsor rain barrel workshops

Plant a rain garden; the plants help clean storm water runoff.

If all of us followed these few simple rules, we can do so much to protect our waterways. This will help ensure that our lakes, streams, creeks, and rivers will be places where our children and their children can swim into the future.

For more information see http://www.cleanwaterpartnership.org

Scenes from the Jacksonville Pocket Park

slideshow

I am not sure if this is a Monarch or a Viceroy butterfly as they are very similar in appearance. The Viceroy uses his close appearance to the Monarch as a way to protect himself from predators. Monarchs are poisonous to predators and those same predators leave the Viceroy alone because the two look so much alike. This butterfly is visiting a large patch of lantana. Lantana is a butterfly magnet; they love the tubular shape of the individual flowers. Planting masses of a color helps bring the butterflies to your garden. Plants with tubular flowers provide an inviting place for the butterlies to sip the nectar.

Addendum: One of the very sharp readers to this blog pointed out that this butterfly is a Gulf Fritillary. From the top of the wings these three butterflies look very much alike--especially to an amateur butterfly watcher like myself. However, the underside of the wings is very different. But since I love this photograph I will keep it.