When a section of land between the main building at the student parking lot at Russellville High School was given over to science instructor Kevin England to do with it what he wanted, he knew he could develop the plot into a garden that would be beautiful and – more importantly – educational. With the awarding of a recent grant, England and the Environmental Club have taken another step toward the garden’s rehabilitation.

“It had gotten so overgrown that we just basically wiped the slate clean,” said England, with a sweeping gesture of the arm across the space, which is bordered on two sides by the main building and on two sides by a sidewalk. “We put down mulch and paper, and when we have the chance and the money to do it, we’re going to re-populate it.”

Some of the necessary funds came through recently. The Environmental Science Club applied for and received a grant from Monarch Watch, a nonprofit focused on the conservation and cultivation of habitats for monarch butterflies, for one flat of milkweed plants to be planted in the pollinator garden-to-be. The grant was made possible by the Natural Resources Defense Council Green Gifts program.

“I knew about the monarch butterfly program. One of the universities in the Midwest started it up with a tagging system, where they would tag the butterflies themselves and monitor migrational patterns,” England explained. “What they need is monarch way stations – feeding stations – along the way. Milkweed is a primary plant they will lay their eggs on … and monarchs will ingest this white latex, really poisonous material inside the milkweed, and they’ll actually assimilate that entire their bodies, so when a bird comes and tries to eat a monarch, it gets sick … so the monarchs use it as a defense mechanism.”

England said because these types of grants often favor schools, he felt confident that if RHS could write a good proposal, the school would be a good candidate for a grant. Additionally, England plans to work with the nonprofit in his own efforts in botanical collections to provide the program with seed samples he obtains during his work.

England said he made application in Fall 2016 and received official notice of the award in February. The flat of milkweed plants will be delivered in May, and England said the club will have the garden certified as a monarch way station.

But the Environmental Club isn’t waiting until May to get started. England said the club is currently fundraising to be able to purchase nectaring plants and shrubs as well as other kinds of plants that will create a desirable habitat for butterflies and moths. Small trees like redbuds will also be good options for the pollinator garden. “There are going to be some wildflower areas,” said England, adding that, while aesthetics will be taken into consideration, it’s not the kind of garden that will be full of ornamentals. “We want it to look good, but we want it to be as natural as possible.”

England said the educational opportunities in the garden will be many and varied. One activity he anticipates is a “mothing event.” “We’ll bring a white bedsheet out, fold it over a rope and put a really high wattage, bright light (under the sheet) and illuminate the sheet. All the different moths will come up and land on it, and we can take pictures of them,” England described. Additionally, the garden will be usable by all levels of science classes at RHS for myriad lessons.

Environmental Club members are Yohalani Mojica, Bergie Villareal, Kacie Fleming, Karli Monroe, Odalys Rendon, Morgan Seay, Anna Mitchell, Georgia Amick, Hunter Fuller, John Tyler Morgan, Wyatt Fleming, Layne Boyd, Adriana Mojica, Maggie Lopez, Jesus Martin and Trenton Strickland. Envirothon team members are also involved in Environmental Club activities.

To support the Environmental Club’s fundraiser by purchasing items from the Nature’s Vision catalogue, visit http://www.naturesvisionfundraising.com/index.cfm?sid=2006455 or talk to an Environmental Club student.