Get butterflies, birds, chickens and bees in your backyard | Entertainment/Life (2024)

Four local horticulture and gardening experts will discuss ways to improve the environment by using your backyard at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at the Jane Chatelain O’Brien West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan, Harvey.

The presentations are:

9:30 a.m. — Backyard chickens with Linda Vinsanau

Keeping a few hens in the backyard will provide fresh eggs that are significantly more nutritious than those available at the supermarket. Free-range eggs have less cholesterol and saturated fat, and more vitamin E, beta carotene, vitamin A and omega-3s than the eggs one would buy. Plus, the birds can be raised humanely and they provide hours of entertainment. During this presentation, Vinsanau will discuss how to pick a breed; setting up housing; local ordinances; and deciding on feed and how much range.

10:45 a.m. — Backyard butterflies with Kathy McCrocklin

Brightly colored butterflies can be a welcome addition to a wildlife garden, not only because of their beauty, but also because of their usefulness in pollinating flowers. Attracting butterflies involves incorporating plants that serve the needs of all life stages of the butterfly. The insects need places to lay eggs, food plants for their larvae (caterpillars), places to form chrysalides and nectar sources for adults.

Noon — Backyard birds with Wendy Rihner

Rihner says that to invite birds into the landscape, gardeners should provide shelter, nesting sites, food and water. Difficulty in finding natural shelter near the food and water sources may tempt birds to look elsewhere for a more promising environment. Providing a place for birds to nest means you may see them frequently at close range, and the birds will be allies in insect control.

1:30 p.m. — Backyard bees with Jay Martin

Many beekeepers have beehives in their backyards. Some bees are even kept on city rooftops. Bees can travel several miles to collect nectar and pollen, so they do not need flowering plants close by. Most suburbs have plenty of flowers, and bees can make a good crop of local honey. Martin will discuss the importance of fences and shrubbery, water, swarm control, races of bees, working the bees, and bees and the law.

END OF SUMMER CELEBRATION: Food and co*cktail demonstrations will occur at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan, Harvey.

Liz Williams will prepare the Key lime pie; Camille Staub will prepare jammy juleps.

Williams founded the Southern Food & Beverage Museum and the SoFAB Research Center. SoFAB is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. She has authored several books about food and culture, especially New Orleans food culture.

Staub is director of operations at SoFAB. She has more than a dozen years of experience in the food service and hospitality industry and has held positions spanning from prep cook to sous chef in restaurants across Louisiana and in Germany.

CEMETERY PRESERVATION: Emily Ford, a cemetery preservationist, monumental mason, and writer of New Orleans cemetery history, will discuss “The French Influence on New Orleans Cemeteries” at 7 p.m. Sept. 11 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.

Ford’s work focuses on empowering cemetery stakeholders in the care and preservation of their property. As owner of Oak and Laurel Cemetery Preservation, she has completed dozens of tomb, tablet and monument restorations as well as an ongoing scholarly-cited blog presenting historic cemetery research.

Part of Ford’s presentation will focus on French architect Jacques Nicolas Bussiere de Pouilly (1804-1875) who arrived in New Orleans in 1833. His work, based on pattern books from Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, created in St. Louis Cemetery No. 2.

JEWISH EXPERIENCE: Kenneth Hoffman, executive director of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, will discuss Jewish genealogy and other related topics at 7 p.m. Sept. 4 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.

He will discuss “The Southern Jewish Experience in Ten Artifacts” through 10 untold tales of the Southern Jewish Experience.

CITIZENSHIP CLASSES: The New Neighbor Project offers citizenship classes from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the Rosedale Library, 4036 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson.

The classes are free and are geared to prepare eligible permanent residents for the United States naturalization process. Classes address: the application procedure; American government; American history; the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence; and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interview procedure.

WWII GROUP: Jack Gross, an expert on World War II aircraft, will explore common myths about the era's planes and related air war topics at 7 p.m. Sept. 5 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie.

FINANCIAL LITERACY: Sheila Cao, a personal finances consultant based in New Orleans, will give a series of presentations on financial management at 6:30 p.m. all four Tuesdays in September at the Edith Lawson Westwego Library, 635 Fourth Ave., Westwego.

The next workshop occurs at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, focusing on how money works. Cao is a licensed financial consultant and a business owner for more than 15 years.

Chris Smith is manager of adult programming at the Jefferson Parish Public Library.