A New Garden at LLELA: A Pocket Prairie/Pollinator Garden

Work has begun on a pocket prairie/pollinator garden near the Cicada Pavilion, which will provide visitors with an opportunity to view North Texas prairie grasses and wildflowers. The garden will also give a boost to our native pollinators by encouraging the plants they depend on. Populations of bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects are in steep decline across the United States due to loss of habitat, overuse of insecticides and other environmental issues. Without these hard‐working and often unappreciated creatures, about 75 percent of our flowering plants and crops would not develop fruit or seeds. There have been efforts by a variety of organizations and groups to bring recognition to our pollinators and give them a leg up in recent years.

Though it is still under construction, the garden is already full of life. A variety of butterflies have been seen so far this season, including swallowtails, monarchs, queens, sulphurs, pearl crescents, buckeyes, emperors, question marks, red admirals, fritillaries and others. The butterflies are attracted to the beebalm, clammyweed, azure sage and many other wildflowers already installed in the garden. The garden will include only plant species native to North Texas, so it will be a great place to see the variety of wildflowers and grasses found here, all in one spot.

There is still much to be done in the garden: weeding, deadheading/seed collecting, hauling boulders, mulching, and seed‐starting in the nursery. If you would like to volunteer there is sure to be a job right up your alley. Contact Lisa Cole at 972‐219‐3930 or lisacole@unt.edu and she’ll
put you in touch with the right people.