2013 | Butterfly Bed Installed
In keeping with the mission to improve Brentwood Park and address the survey items that neighbors said were very or somewhat important, Friends of Brentwood Park decided to install a new planting bed around the base of the recently relocated Purple Martin tower. Since a group of gardeners started FOBP, planting native and adapted host and nectar plants for pollinators was always a priority.
Karen Lorenzini, a passionate organic gardener, was eager to lead this project and decided to create the pollinator planting bed in shape of a butterfly. The team loved the idea, and thought it would be would be both whimsical and fun to look at on Google Earth.
The butterfly bed was created during the spring 2013 It’s My Park Day event. With a $250 mini-grant from the Austin Parks Foundation, Karen purchased plants and steel edging, collected cardboard, and also brought a few volunteer plants from her yard. Plenty of large cardboard was collected before IMPD so that sheet mulching could be laid after planting to help control invasive Bermuda grass. Card board sheet mulching also helps to retain moisture in the soil, builds soil health, and eventually decomposes.
Two Red Yucca were planted at the butterfly’s head to mimic the antennae, while other butterfly friendly plants like Salvia Greggi, Turk’s Cap, Gregg’s Mistflower, and Sage were added. A handful of stepping stones were also added to allow volunteers the access they needed to lower the gourds for regular maintenance and cleaning.
Over the seasons. the curves and corners of the butterfly shape proved to be a problem for city mowers and the metal edging was repeatedly mangled. After a few years, the butterfly bed was reshaped to a large circle, and limestone stones from the Shelton residence on Brentwood Street (donated by the family after the tragedy) were added to the metal edging.
The pollinator plants eventually matured and while gorgeous, the made the Purple Martin gourd maintenance ever more challenging. The constant invasion of Bermuda grass also made planting bed maintenance a huge chore during each IMPD event.
In November 2023, the FOBP team and Denise Daily (Purple Martin caretaker) agreed to remove the butterfly bed and reuse all the large Shelton stones in the newly expanded welcome bed. The mature and crowded plants were a hindrance to gourd access and Denise struggled with navigating the tall and woody shrubs. Several mature Turk’s Cap were trimmed back and transplanted to the welcome bed, and volunteer saved as many salvia and mistflower transplants as the could. Today the Purple Martin house is free standing and easily accessible, and still a sight to behold when the Purple Martins are swooping and swirling above.
