John Dunlevy News Today

CHICAGO -- On a suburban street with smooth lawns and trimmed bushes, Martha Chiplis yard stands out. Its not just the wildflowers: purple wild petunia, golden lanceleaf coreopsis, hot-pink Bushs poppy mallow. Its the lemon-yellow goldfinches that snack on the seeds, the fluffy bees that feed on the blooms.

CHICAGO -- On a suburban street with smooth lawns and trimmed bushes, Martha Chiplis’ yard stands out. It’s not just the wildflowers: purple wild petunia, golden lanceleaf coreopsis, hot-pink Bush’s poppy mallow. It’s the lemon-yellow goldfinches that snack on the seeds, the fluffy bees that feed on the blooms. And then there’s the star of the show: a monarch butterfly that descends within ...

Over 400 home gardeners throughout the Chicago area have participated in a research project aimed at understanding how urban areas can provide habitat for the iconic insects.

On a suburban street with smooth lawns and trimmed bushes, Martha Chiplis’ yard stands out. It’s not just the wildflowers: purple wild petunia, golden lanceleaf coreopsis, hot-pink Bush’s poppy mallow. It’s the lemon-yellow goldfinches that snack on the seeds, the fluffy bees that feed on the blooms. And then there’s the star of the show: a monarch butterfly that descends within minutes. The ...

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