Kelly Long, a long time resident of Greer, South Carolina and member of the Camellia Garden Club is “The Southern Monarch”. The Two Creeks Garden Club, who has a registered Monarch Waystation in Alvaton, Kentucky will sponsor her visit in cooperation with the Warren County Public Library at the Bob Kirby Branch (175 Iron Skillet Ct, Bowling Green, Kentucky)  on July 16th at 6:00 (Central). Please join us for this exciting opportunity! For FREE tickets, click here.https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/u9r5ynz

The GCKY officers had the opportunity to hear Kelly at the South Atlantic Region of Garden Clubs meeting in March, 2024 at Greenville, South Carolina. Kelly is enthusiastic and shares her knowledge with all who are interested in pollinators, in particular the Monarch Butterfly. She raises Monarchs and also works to raise awareness of this beautiful butterfly. Their numbers have been declining and in particular because the loss of breeding habitat, milkweed, due to the use of chemicals and the work to remove milkweed from farms and fields. Climate change, forest degradation in Mexico where they winter and urban sprawl are all causes of their shortened life span and loss of habitat. Their life span is only a few weeks. They begin their migration from Mexico north and it takes 3-4 generations to travel into the northern United States and Canada. Kelly’s Facebook page is The Southern Monarch. For information about Kelly, please click here.