Written By Julia Kirchner

Jann Fry’s Environmental Science Club recently placed compost in Greenwood Elementary’s eight empty plots. Their plan is to plant a variety of flowers to attract different pollinators.

Fry says she is looking forward to “having kids actually look at the pollinators.”

The project was organized through Ms. Stewart. Negotiation with an ECE teacher at Greenwood led to elementary school students hopefully being exposed to pollinators like butterflies and humming birds.

“The first couple of years are the hardest to maintain, that’s when you get the most weeds, but after that it sort of runs on its own,” said Fry.

The Environmental Science Club will plant and maintain the garden, as well as document its results. They will be able to see what plants attract certain pollinators. Planting will happen soon, seeds will be put down in November, and then flowers will bloom in the spring.

For Fry, this project is all about “understanding the ecology of not only the plants, but also the pollinators.”

Fry’s hope is that students learn how and where to plant, as well as the reasons why specific plants are planted. For example, hummingbirds are attracted to red plants, while bees are attracted to yellow. She looks forward to involving her Biology and Ecology classes in the future.

“I feel like this is sort of ongoing. These are native plants, so you just have to get them established,” said Fry