Meet the Gardener
Gary Liska
Environmentalist, Conservationist,
Monarch SME
I am a conservationist and naturalist committed to helping the Monarch butterfly. My fascination with Monarchs began in 1972 in New Canaan, Connecticut and the years leading up to higher education.
I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in health sciences including studies in entomology. My present work includes work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) branches of atmospheric sciences and marine fisheries. I work with educators to incorporate and align field activities to school curricula and rubrics. My work includes enhancing residential homes, public parks and corporate properties. I interface with universities, governmental officials, museums, schools, and national organizations to keep the balance of art and science in what I offer.
On my property in Oxford, PA, I have three pollinator gardens where data generated from my Monarch butterflies assist three universities (Minnesota, Kansas, Georgia) in their ongoing studies of migration, Monarch health and parasitoid threats. In addition to working closely with a local nursery to ensure quality, affordable and native plants as part of my consultative services - each Spring I grow between 750-1,000 milkweed plants from my previous year's garden. In my spare time I enjoy my 12-year-old tortoise Maximus (who's looking for a girlfriend by the way), a handful of chickens, my bass pond, and carnivorous plants! I look forward to working with you.