Green Thumbs Dig up Green Initiative at Senior Living Community

The Terraces at Los Altos might be the only senior living community in the Bay Area that can say they have a scarlet bugler poolside. While it’s tempting to envision a red-clad horn player serenading residents, it’s in fact one of 16 native plants carefully selected to form the community’s new butterfly garden.

In 2017, The Terraces completed an expansive $100 million renovation. By the swimming pool, a parcel of land with shrubs and bushes was left untouched. With the area unused and out of place with its updated surroundings, residents suggested creating a small oasis where migrating monarchs, hummingbirds, and other local birds and insects could thrive.

Over several months, residents Bill Fanning, Claire Taylor and Gary Cooper worked with a landscape designer to plan the garden and clear and prepare the plot. Last fall, the first plants went in the ground – nectar plants such as California lilac and manzanita, host plants like milkweed and, of course, flowers for aesthetic value.

The garden is also eco-friendly, featuring a drip irrigation system that evenly and efficiently distributes water. Many of the native plants are drought-resistant, which means they’ll require less water and maintenance as they grow and mature.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the monarch population has decreased by upwards of 80 percent in the last 20 years. Fanning says the garden will be an educational experience for their community and provide a small reprieve for the butterflies on their 2,000-mile journey to Mexico.

“A lot of us are very conscious of recycling and other green initiatives, and the idea of a butterfly garden is attractive to a lot of people – I think it’s going to be popular,” added Taylor.

On June 17, The Terraces welcomed Eleanor Laney from the Garden Club of Palo Alto, who led a presentation about monarch butterflies and gardening in support of butterflies.