How a Working Forest Contributes to a Healthier Ecosystem

February 14, 2021September 29, 2022 Alexandra Thompson

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 02:48 pm

By managing our own forest here in Vermont since 2013, we have witnessed the beautiful harmony of a healthy ecosystem. When Vermont Woods Studios outgrew the spare bedroom in Peggy’s home, our team searched for a permanent home. Above all, our goal was to find a space that would reflect the values of the company and offer a home to showcase the works of Vermont’s finest furniture craftsmen. After a long search, we found Stonehurst. As you can imagine, we love every minute we get to spend out in our forest!

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This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.

10 Tips for Saving the Monarch Butterfly

October 3, 2019September 15, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh

Last updated on September 15th, 2022 at 11:25 am

Saving the Monarch Butterfly | 2019 | Vermont Woods Studios — At Vermont Woods Studios we’re working on saving the Monarch Butterfly. As they leave VT on their annual migration to Mexico we share tips about how you can help monarchs avoid extinction. Hint: it’s all about the milkweed.

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The Hands That Hold the Future

August 21, 2017October 3, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh 1 Comment

Last updated on October 3rd, 2022 at 06:01 pm

Monarch Butterfly Workshop at Nature Camp in Hinesburg, Vermont — Eileen Ashe invited me to teach about monarchs at Nature Camp, sponsored by the United Church of Hinesburg, VT last week. Students made seed balls out of potting soil, clay and water. We put milkweed and flower seeds in each ball and rolled them into sunny meadows where they’ll grow to produce habitat & food for monarchs next year.

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Monarchs & the Milkweed Symposium

January 26, 2017May 23, 2018 Peggy Farabaugh 1 Comment

Last updated on May 23rd, 2018 at 02:27 pm

Jose Luis Alvarez and conservation of monarch habitat in Mexico — We brought Jose Luis Alvarez to the Milkweed Symposium in Canada so he could teach attendees about the need to reforest monarch habitat in Mexico.

The 1st International Symposium on Milkweed

Last Friday I traveled to Becancour, Quebec with our friend Jose Luis Alvarez for the 1st International Symposium on American Silk (aka milkweed). The symposium was put together by Francois Simard. He’s a textiles engineer who’s developing technologies to use milkweed fibers as a down substitute in winter jackets. Francois is trying to persuade farmers to plant milkweed as a commercial crop in the USA and Canada.

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International Monarch Symposium on the Silk of America

January 13, 2017August 14, 2018 Megan Fulton Leave a comment

Last updated on August 14th, 2018 at 12:07 pm

Join us in Montreal for a discussion on Monarchs, Milkweed and Where we go from here.

Our friend, Francois Simard of Encore 3, is hosting the first ever International Monarch Symposium on the Silk of America. Silk of America? Yes, that’s the new and improved name for milkweed! The symposium will focus on the topic of monarch butterfly habitat conservation in the USA and Canada.

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A Year in Review 2016

December 27, 2016June 20, 2019 Megan Fulton 2 Comments

Last updated on June 20th, 2019 at 11:42 am

year in review — Peggy (far left) with milkweed farmers from Vermont, Jose Luis Alvarez of FFM (4th from the left) and Francois Simard (4th from the right) of Encore 3 an innovative company transforming the way we use milkweed.

A look back at (almost) everything we did this year.

The Fun Stuff

From saving Monarch Butterflies to baking bread for the local food-shelf, we do a lot more than just sell wood furniture. At Vermont Woods Studios we’re on a mission to change the world. Our accomplishments may be on a smaller scale than some but they have deep meaning to us and to our customers. Not to mention, it’s the most fun part of our work!

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How to Make Milkweed and Flower Seed Bombs for Pollinators

November 15, 2016March 31, 2017 Megan Fulton 1 Comment

Last updated on March 31st, 2017 at 01:41 pm

Our latest effort to expand monarch butterfly and pollinator habitats in Vermont: seed bombs

The monarch’s have returned to Mexico and we’re in that annual limbo of Fall weather in New England. So, it could seem odd that we’re talking about growing milkweed in November, but now is actually the perfect time to get your seeds outside for the Spring.

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Hell No, We Won’t Mow!

August 8, 2016October 11, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh Leave a comment

Last updated on October 11th, 2022 at 04:16 pm

"Hell No, We Won't Mow" — A monarch butterfly on it’s favorite source of food and habitat. Please join our “Hell No, We Won’t Mow” campaign and ask your local road crews if there are areas where mowing can be delayed until October. Photo by Elizabeth Howard, founder of Journey North.

7 Ways You Can Help Save Monarch Butterflies From Extinction

Frequent flyers on this blog are well schooled on the plight of the beautiful monarch butterfly. Over the last couple decades the population has declined by over 90% leaving the monarch in imminent danger of extinction. Once a billion butterflies strong, there are now only about 50 million and the need to conserve their habitat is urgent. The good news is that, with your help and a little cooperation from Mother Nature, it may not be too late. Here are 7 things you can do to help the monarch make an epic comeback in 2016-2017:

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3 Amigos & A Butterfly

July 17, 2016November 15, 2016 Peggy Farabaugh Leave a comment

Last updated on November 15th, 2016 at 08:22 pm

Save the Monarchs Tour

One of the monarchs we raised at Vermont Woods Studios last summer. — The monarch butterfly brought Jose Luis Alvarez, Francois Simard and me together in our efforts to help save it from extinction.

Can 3 World Leaders & 3 Small Businesses Save the Monarch Butterfly?

Last month President Obama met with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss climate change and how our three countries can save essential pollinators from extinction. Independent of that meeting, another Mexican, a Canadian and an American were working on the same thing. Jose Luis Alvarez, Francois Simard and I somehow connected because we all love nature and believe that small businesses can & should have a positive effect on the world around us. The part of nature we’re focused on is the beautiful (and endangered) monarch butterfly.

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How To Plant Milkweed for Monarchs

April 18, 2016October 3, 2022 Peggy Farabaugh 3 Comments

Last updated on October 3rd, 2022 at 05:54 pm

This is part of a series of posts on our Monarch Butterfly Restoration Project.

Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed — A monarch butterfly on it’s favorite source of food and habitat. Learn how to plant milkweed & save the monarch from extinction. Photo by Elizabeth Howard, founder of Journey North.

Calling all nature nuts and monarch butterfly enthusiasts! You can help save the beautiful orange & black monarch butterfly from extinction. It’s easy and you can do it no matter where you live, whether that’s a Manhattan apartment, a suburban ranch or an organic horse farm in Vermont.

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