Flower gardens grow flowers, vegetable gardens grow vegetables, and, yes, butterfly gardens grow butterflies. This week on Cultivating Place we’re joined by Matthew Shepherd of the Xerces Society, a national nonprofit organization based in Portland, Ore., which protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For more than 40 years, the society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.
Matthew is currently the communications director for the society, and has directed the society’s pollinator program and worked on endangered species projects. He has been wildlife gardening for decades and in the interview we explore gardening, ecology, philosophy, best practices, our attachment to the specific butterflies and moths of our home places, and some great overall butterfly plants. The society has a new book out with Timber Press: Gardening for Butterflies.
