Can you make a career out of studying butterflies? Kim Pegram from the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ sure did. She fell in love with butterflies as a child and never let go. She’s an expert in butterfly coloration, which the butterflies form during the chrysalis stage via pigments and structural coloration—a specific way of layering cuticle to reflect light. Just like traffic signs catch our attention with bright colors, making them easy to spot, butterflies warn off predators with the same types of warning signals.

At the desert botanical garden, she works on plant propagation. Plant natives has become a rallying cry, but seed sources can be difficult to find. The Desert Botanical Garden has been trialing how to best grow out native milkweeds. 30 species of milkweed grow in Arizona. The team has expanded into other native plants, experimenting with how to best cultivate them. Tune in to learn more about how research can be channeled into practice.

 

Learn more about the 2 Million Blossoms and about protecting our pollinators at: https://www.2millionblossoms.com/

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We welcome Betterbee as sponsor of today's episode. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com

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Music: Original 2 Million Blossoms Theme, by Oscar Morante / Mooi Studios. Guitar music by Jeffrey Ott

2 Million Blossoms - The Podcast is a joint audio production of Protect Our Pollinators, LLC and  Growing Planet Media, LLC