Our recent Fall Open House (Saturday, 6 September 2008) was like no other. We had at least 1,000 people visit Monarch Watch that day (twice the usual number) and we gave out over 450 chrysalids to the children in attendance.

The weather was less than ideal - cloudy with occasional rain and not a one of the 200 butterflies in the Biohouse so much as opened their wings but it didn?t seem to matter to our visitors. The garden (Monarch Waystation #1) so carefully nurtured by Margarete Johnson and her colleagues among the Douglas County Master Gardeners, was spectacular. With a little sun the garden would have been filled with butterflies as well as fantastic flowers.

As usual, we provided refreshments, lots of show & tell (including a honey bee observation hive and some "Oh, my!" insects you may have never seen before), tours of our gardens and lab space, hands-on activities, games, videos, monarch tagging demonstrations, iChat videoconferencing, and, of course, lots of monarch caterpillars, pupae, and butterflies!

My thanks to all and especially to the Monarch Watch crew, particularly Jim Lovett and Ann Ryan, who made this event possible.

- Chip

DONATE NOW! (pretty please)

If you enjoy the various educational, conservation, and research programs Monarch Watch offers throughout the year, please consider making a donation today - it's quick, easy, secure, and fully tax-deductible. You can even set up a recurring gift (monthly or annually) if you'd like. We rely on contributions from Monarch Watchers just like you to keep the program going - thank you for your continued support!

DONATE NOW ONLINE

If you would rather mail in a donation or have questions, please visit Giving in Support of Monarch Watch.

PHOTO SLIDESHOW

We took lots of photos during the day - check them out here.

LAUNCH THE SLIDESHOW WINDOW

DIRECTIONS TO MONARCH WATCH

Monarch Watch is located on the West Campus of the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.A.

KU West Campus Map showing Monarch Watch (Foley Hall)

via I-70 Turnpike:

NOTE: Westbound access to the West Lawrence Exit is closed - this affects travelers leaving Lawrence going toward Topeka or travelers coming to Lawrence from Kansas City.

Take West Lawrence exit and continue South on IOWA street. At the 19th Street stoplight turn RIGHT (west). At "T" turn LEFT (south). Proceed past the stop sign (after stopping of course!) and then turn right into a parking lot (you'll see a large Greenhouse at the end of the lot) and find a place to park ;-) Foley Hall is the one-story building that will be on your right.

via westbound K-10: K-10 turns into 23rd street in Lawrence. Continue West on 23rd until you reach IOWA street. At the stoplight turn RIGHT (north) and continue to 19th Street. At the 19th Street stoplight turn LEFT (west). At "T" turn LEFT (south). Proceed past the stop sign (after stopping of course!) and then turn right into a parking lot (you'll see a large Greenhouse at the end of the lot) and find a place to park ;-) Foley Hall is the one-story building that will be on your right.