In the city, a garden can be a rare jewel.  In addition to regular vegetables, Michael and Lorraine plant a row of French Marigolds each year to draw in the good bugs and pollinators to help get rid of the bad ones. In addition, there are all kinds of wildflowers that come up in the spring and also in the fall (examples: spider wort, slender vetch, honeysuckle, etc.). We also get lots of butterflies and dragon flies. A plowed garden, waiting to be planted, is a thing of beauty as well.

In addition, we have toads, tree frogs, large and small turtles, rabbits, muscovy ducks, blue herons, hawks, cardinals, scissor-tailed flycatchers, mocking birds, and even a PEACOCK that visited the garden. (We have an estimated 135 species of birds that come to the garden).

Can you guess what some pollinators are?  (see box below) . To increase the likelihood of bees coming to the garden, Michael decided to plant cotton.  Originally, he planted one variety, but has expanded to four different varieties.  What happens to the cotton?  Pollinators are attracted to the garden more readily so the cotton serves that purpose.  But cotton can be used by people to make things.  Some people have collected cotton to use to stuff dolls, to make wicks for candles, etc.  Cotton is interesting to grow in that inside each cotton boll, there are seeds.  You pick the seeds out of the boll.  Then you plant them with some of the cotton surrounding it.  Here is a cool picture of cotton emerging as seedlings with the cotton showing.