Native Pollinator Garden Update - Winn Elementary (25 August 2017)

Winn Elementary Native Pollinator Garden

 
School starts this week for students at Winn Elementary (and several other local school districts).  With that in mind, I went out to the school last week to do a little bit of maintenance on the garden.  This garden was originally planted in June 2012.  With five full growing seasons behind it, it is really starting to come into its own.  

I don't like to fuss too much in the garden.  Plants will move around in the garden, seeking the best growing conditions.  Surprises will pop up - this garden now has Wild Columbine and two species of Goldenrod that were not planted here.  Most of the maintenance on this garden consists of pulling plants that have grown up in the walkways and preventing invasive species from becoming established.  In addition to a little weeding, I mulched the pathways through the garden just to get it ready for students walking through. 

Here are a few photos.

This garden is a certified butterfly habitat.

Freshly mulched pathways make it easy to walk through the garden.

Grey-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)

Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum)

Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus)on Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)

A Leopold bench provides a spot for students to sit and work

 

Bee nesting tubes are mostly full

 

In a few weeks, asters and goldenrod will color the garden shades of purple and gold.

This Wednesday (30 August), we will be visiting this garden as part of an education series hosted by the Isabella Conservation District.  Unfortunately, registration for this program is closed, but we  have a class on the identification and control of native species scheduled for 20 September.  When more information on that class becomes available I will publish it here.