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MILL SPRING—Thanks to a grant from the Polk County Appearance Committee, a new pollinator garden will soon blossom at Laughter Pond, next to the Polk County Middle School. Champions for Wildlife received a beautification grant to prepare a space next to the pond for a new native plant garden. The garden will be a haven for pollinators and an outdoor learning center for students and our community.

With the grant money, Champions for Wildlife purchased tools to prepare the garden area for planting in the fall. Then, some hardworking volunteers helped get the garden space ready. Invasive plants were removed, and Edwards Landscaping delivered mulch to the site. The garden space was cleared, and mulch was spread in preparation for the future garden.

The garden is a joint effort among a number of middle school classes and teachers, and learning is already occurring. Champions for Wildlife worked with several classes this spring to make beautiful wire sculptures for the garden, using art to teach kids about wildlife. 

In the fall, middle schoolers will help design the garden for pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, ladybugs, beetles, and hummingbirds. The kids will help choose plants that attract a variety of native insects and other animals, culminating in a great day of kids and volunteers planting the garden this fall.

Pollinators are crucial for our food and environment. By moving pollen from flower to flower, they help 75% of flowering plants reproduce. Without pollinators, our food supply would be in trouble.

Planting the garden will be a fruitful educational experience for Polk County Middle School students and our community to learn more about the importance of pollinators and native plants. 

None of this would be happening without the generosity of the Polk County Appearance Committee. The garden is just one example of multiple organizations working together to make our community a place of beauty, educating kids about nature, and helping our struggling pollinators.

Champions for Wildlife thanks Jeanne Ferran, Jamie Weathers, Jonathan Greene, and Laura Baird for helping start this project. It takes a community coming together to accomplish great things.

If you are interested in helping with the garden this fall, please contact Champions for Wildlife at loti@championsforwildlife.org.