By Kate Watson, Gardener As temperatures drop and summer blooms wilt, there are still many beautiful plants that can add winter interest to your garden. I am partial to the native species that bring warm red tones to a landscape. Here we’ll look at four plant species, native to Colorado, that turn red during winter and are found in The Gardens on Spring Creek. Creeping Oregon Grape Holly ( Berberis repens ) Creeping Oregon grape holly, Berberis repens (formerly Mahonia repens ), also known as creeping mahonia or barberry, is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to western and central North America. Often 1-3 feet tall and at least as wide, it has broad leathery leaves bordered by small spiny teeth, similar to holly leaves. While not a true holly, which refers to the Ilex genus, Berberis repens also forms berries. The berries are dark blue, resembling grapes, hence the common name “grape holly.” In winter the foliage turns red to dark purple when exposed to ...
By Angie Fuentes The Gardens on Spring Creek Community Engagement Assistant Monarchs Each year, right around DÃa de Muertos, millions of monarch butterflies arrive like clockwork to the misty mountains of central Mexico. Their appearance during this sacred time holds deep meaning for the communities of Michoacán and the State of Mexico, where the butterflies are seen as the returning souls of ancestors visiting the living. For generations, the Purépecha and Mazahua peoples, two Indigenous groups native to this region, have watched the skies fill with these migrating monarchs, their wings shimmering like a flowing river of orange and gold across the Sierra Madre hills. The butterflies’ arrival has been carefully observed since pre-Hispanic times, marking a spiritual moment when nature and the human spirit move in harmony. According to oral traditions, the spirits of the departed return on the butterflies’ delicate wings, joining their loved ones during DÃa de Muertos to celebra...