URBANA, Ill. — Springtime brings visions of beautiful butterfly gardens and dreams of delicious vegetable varieties growing in a garden or porch pots outside the window.
Garden planning and the countdown to a new growing season continue with two new webinars from University of Illinois Extension’s Four Seasons Gardening series. The spring series begins April 7, with sessions to help with building gardens and get spring moving.
Extension horticulture experts will present tips, how-to’s, and answer questions about each monthly topic. The series focuses on home gardening, environmental stewardship, and backyard food production. Sessions are free and presented live online beginning at 1:30 p.m. on select Tuesdays. Registration is required at go.illinois.edu/FourSeasons.
Spring Webinar Session Schedule
Growing a Butterfly Garden: Illinois Butterflies and Their Host Plants, April 7
Butterflies use a variety of plants for nectar, but their caterpillars are often more picky. Learn about the benefits of using native plants to attract more butterflies to yards and which ones will give the most bang for the ecological buck.
Veggie Visions: Unveiling New Flavors in 2026, May 12
Embark on a culinary adventure with the exciting lineup of new vegetables unveiled for the 2026 season. Learn about the unique characteristics, growing tips, and delectable uses of these fresh additions. Be among the first to discover the latest in vegetable gardening trends and get ready to transform kitchens with a harvest of vibrant and enticing produce.
Extension educators Jamie Viebach and Bruce Black will lead the spring series sessions. To find more information and to sign up for each session, visit go.illinois.edu/FourSeasons.
Can’t make a session? Every program is recorded and available on the Illinois Extension Horticulture YouTube channel. Videos are available about two weeks after the live program.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, please contact the series coordinators, Gemini Bhalsod at gbhalsod@illinois.edu, Andrew Holsinger at aholsing@illinois.edu, and Nancy Kreith at kreith@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting access needs.
SOURCES: Gemini Bhalsod, Nancy Kreith, and Andrew Holsinger, horticulture educators, Illinois Extension
WRITER: Jenna Braasch, media communications coordinator, Illinois Extension
PHOTO CAPTION: A monarch butterfly lands on a blooming milkweed plant. Photo by Adobe Stock.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.