This past Monday, Pete and I, along with two dear friends, went to see “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” We had seen the first movie at Pete’s sister’s house. He liked it enough to want to see the rest of the movies when they came out. It was a really good movie (in my opinion), well-acted and making good use of the best parts of the book. One of the things that these movies are noted for are the elaborate costumes that the characters wear – they are over-the-top colorful. Effie Trinket is one such character, always dressing in amazing styles with futuristic hair and make-up. (Yes, this eventually will turn into something that fits in with our Arboretum!) She came out in one scene wearing this:
When I first saw it, I thought, “What a remarkable dress!” But then as I looked at more, it made me sad because of the plight of the monarchs.
Pete had sent me a link to an article in the The New York Times about monarch butterflies and bees and other insects that are losing their habitats. It also spoke to the importance of increasing the number of native plants and trees, how that would help these provide these insects with food and shelter. It was so sad to only see two monarch this summer.
Our yard is full of native plants, and Pete is always coming to me with some new insect that he’s found, one that he never expected to see in our backyard. The native plants and trees that we have planted in the Arboretum are making a difference. And I’m very thankful for that.
And speaking of being thankful, with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I’d like to say that I am thankful for all of my friends and family, and for all the supporters and volunteers of this little Arboretum we’ve all worked so hard to make happen. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Until next time!
Lower Olentangy Urban Arboretum 