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I hope this finds you well and in good spirits, and that you come out of winter hibernation refreshed and ready to take on the upcoming butterfly and moth season. Reports of butterfly sightings have been trickling in to the Carolina Leps Listserv -- a promising sign for populations if the warm weather stays. I had my first butterfly of the year and of the yard on February 2nd, a Sleepy Orange.
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John and I managed to dodge The Covid for four years. Our tests came up positive on Valentine's Day. John had a fairly mild course whereas I was knocked flat for almost a week and then after a few days of feeling better experienced a rebound. My energy level is low and my brain fog is high. Hopefully over time I will eventually feel like myself again.
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We hope you are all wanting to buy plenty of plants this year! Our efforts to expand the number of species and quantities of more popular plants has proven quite successful. We could also use helpers with potting up seedlings and with assisting at the weekend plant sales in May.
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Looking ahead into June, I'm quite excited about this year's Hillsborough Moth Crawl. We will have four hosts this year, and we will be offering some cool swag and prizes.
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I'm writing this on Leap Day 2024. John and I have reached a milestone 5th anniversary in Leap Years. We celebrated by enjoying a fancy pizza since I'm still dealing with lingering effects of Covid and not up to a big to-do.
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Look for the next newsletter around April Fools' Day. Be sure to follow our Facebook page as it will feature profiles of the new plants we will be offering.
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Spring Volunteer Opportunities
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Get Your Hands Dirty!
Spring is here and our winter sown seedlings are ready to be potted up. Come assist John on Mondays or Tuesdays during March. No experience is required -- John will show you what to do.
We do require you register as space is limited. First shift is 12 - 2 PM, the second shift is 2 - 4 PM.
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Helpers Needed for Weekend Plant Sales
Helpers are needed on Saturdays or Sundays during May from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM to assist with our weekend plant sale fundraiser.
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Good customer service skills appreciated. Cashiering will be required. Knowledge of plants helpful but not necessary. Benefits include free lunch and T-shirt, lots of appreciation, and of course free plants. Detriments include working outdoors in all weather, and wanting to buy all the plants.
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Sneak Peek at New Plants for 2024
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We're about two months away from the start of the Spring Plant Sale so this list is likely to change if additional seeds germinate within the next couple of weeks. This list is of the new plants we will be offering. Not included are "returning favorites" that haven't been offered in a couple of years. Our website will be updated periodically to reflect availability of plants. Quantities will be posted 1-2 weeks before the start of the sale.
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Aster, Heart-leaved
Blazing Star, Button
Coreopsis, Prairie
Coreopsis, Tall
Goldenrod, Bog
Goldenrod, Elm-leaved
Goldenrod, Old Field
Honewort
Hyssop, Giant Yellow
Lion's Foot
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Pipevine, Mystery (Dutchmen's or Woolly)
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Smooth Hedgenettle
Spiderwort, Ohio
St. John's Wort, Dotted
Sunflower, Maximillian
Sunflower, Saw-tooth
Sunflower, Tall
Venus' Looking Glass
Virgin's Bower
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Save the date for the Hillsborough Moth Crawl 2024! This year there will be four hosts, moth bingo with prizes, and a contest on iNaturalist with premium prizes to be awarded. Plus we will have T-shirts and other swag available for purchase at the time of registration. The event is free with the ability to make a donation at the time of registering.
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Support Our Missions
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Your contribution helps us fulfill our missions of providing education, community outreach, and assistance in creating backyard butterfly and moth friendly habitats.
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