Transcript The Butterfly Garden

The Butterfly Garden of Philadelphia
University
Jessica Hagedorn
April 12, 2004
Philadelphia University
School Lane House and Henry Avenue
Philadelphia, PA, 19144-5494
Professor Brad Thompson
Environmental Science Tues/Thurs 9:35-10:50 a.m.
Philadelphia University
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Philadelphia University is a
small college located right
outside of Center City
Philadelphia in East Falls.
It began as an institution in
1884 directed to teaching
textiles (“Behind Every Great..”).
It has a beautiful park- like
setting that separates the
students from the city and
creates a friendly atmosphere.
To maintain this park setting,
people of Philadelphia
University make sure that the
grounds of the school are clean
so that it can be enjoyed by
everyone.
Philadelphia University
(Source: adapted from “A Birdseye View”)
The Butterfly Garden
At Philadelphia University,
nestled in a small area, is a garden
made for butterflies that was
started some years ago by
students.
 Every year, students participate in
continuing the maintenance of
this garden. They do this by
removing any dead material,
excavating the land, and planting
new life that will attract
butterflies.
 By doing this, the garden will
become a home for not only the
butterflies and their eggs, but
other small species of plants and
animals.

Philadelphia University
(Source: Adapted from “campus map”)
“Doing Environmental Science”
This year, our environmental
science class gathered at the
butterfly garden to continue the
tradition of helping sustain the
garden, and hopefully help it
grow.
 Everyone in our class somehow
contributed in the process
whether it was raking, weeding,
gathering leaves, or planting.
 What was once a garden filled
with leaves and other dead plants
became a garden with great
potential due to new plants and
fresh topsoil.

Our Mission
First, the class helped plant many seeds of new
species into pots that will be put into the garden
later on once they grow enough to be planted.
 Second, the class raked up leaves and pulled out
aggressive (invasive) plants such as Butterfly
Bush (Buddleia Davidii) and Garlic Mustard
(Alliaria Petiolata) that were dominating the
garden. By doing this, it allows for our new
plants to grow under better conditions and it
lends to more diversity in the garden.
 Lastly, the class planted known species that will
attract butterflies to the garden. We layered
topsoil in the garden for the finishing touch that
will absorb water into the ground.

(“Butterfly Gardening”)
My Contribution
1. Planted White Boneset (Eupatorium
Album), into a pot with proper
amount of soil and sand sprinkled
along the top. This along with the
other 22 species planted help create
a diverse garden for the butterflies’
interests (Boyd).
2. Bagged loads of leaves into garbage
bags. By doing this, it allows for a
clean slate to plant flowers.
3. Planted violets and other species in the
garden that will attract the butterflies.
4. Helped lay out a layer of fresh topsoil
that will also act as a mulch and
absorb precipitation into the soil so
that transpiration can occur.
(Boyd, 48)
Pictures of Our Hard Work
Janine and Nicole bagging leaves
Janine playing with the dirt
Laury posing while working
The boys cutting back pesky plants
Butterfly Garden related to
Science
- What we worked on in the butterfly garden is extremely relevant
to topics discussed in the classroom. A major issue that can
ultimately create or destroy biodiversity is invasive species.
WHAT MAKES AN INVASIVE SPECIES?
- An invasive species can produce many seeds at once that can
easily disperse into the surrounding grounds, multiplying quickly.
- They have long flowering and growth periods in a season.
- They can withstand many temperature changes in the
environment.
- Finally, they can be an invasive species if they were originally
introduced in large numbers.
(David, 10)
(Marinelli/Randall, 11 )
English Ivy (Hedera Helix)-
This invasive plant came from Europe
and Asia somewhere during the colonial times. It spreads in very dense
clusters at fast rates. By doing this, it stunts the growth of other plants
around it and prevents the plants from being able to come back. The best
way to keep this plant from taking over an area is to directly pull the roots
from the soil or at least prune them to a short length (Marinelli/Randall,93).
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria Petiolata)-
It originated from Europe.
This aggressive species also spreads very quickly. It stays low to the ground
so it becomes very difficult for other plants to even grow at all. This species
has become “a severe threat to native plants and animals in the forest
communities” (Eagan, 10).
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia Davidii)-
This species is a flowering
plant that grows very tall and also very wide (Lerner, F.12). With its
spreading qualities, it can easily take over an area. While this plant attracts
butterflies to it, this plant can leave other possible species of plants in risk
of not being able to grow to their full extent.
(“Butterfly Gardening”)
Invasive Species Pictures
English Ivy:
Garlic Mustard:
(“English Ivy, Common Ivy…”)
Butterfly Bush:
(“Garlic + Mustard= A Problematic Invasive”)
(“Butterfly Bush,…”)
Attracting Butterflies
There are many types of plants that
can attract butterflies to
them. By putting these
different species of plants in a
garden, it will lure them to
your garden and create a
diverse atmosphere of not
only plants but butterflies
too.
So what kind of plants should be
planted in a butterfly garden?
1.
Milk Weed or Butterfly Weed
2.
Goldenrod
3.
Aster
4.
Coneflower
5.
Lilac
(“How to make Butterfly Gardens”)
Butterfly Weed
Aster
Goldenrod
What kind of butterflies?
There are many types of Butterflies that live in the surrounding areas of
Philadelphia. Here are some that you may see:
-Swallowtails
-Skippers
-Whites and Sulphurs
-Metalmarks
-Brush-footed Butterflies
Swallowtail
Sulphur
Skipper
(“Butterflies found in Pennsylvania”)
How to Make A Butterfly
Garden A Success
1.
2.
3.
4.
Make sure that you plant
several varieties of plants
since every species of
butterflies have a specific
taste for certain types of
nectar.
Plant a few types of host
plants for butterflies to lay
their eggs.
Have areas in the sun and
areas in the shade for the
butterflies either to warm
themselves or cool down if
the temperature is too hot.
Also, butterflies enjoy resting
near water. It is a good idea to
provide a small pool of water
for them to gather around.
(“How to make Butterfly Gardens”)
1. “Looking East Toward the City.” map. Philadelphia University. 3 Apr. 2004
<http://www.philau.edu/directions/maplarge.html>
2. “Behind Every Great University There’s A Story.” Philadelphia University. 4 Apr. 2004
http://www.philau.edu/about/aboutBriefHistory.html
3. “Campus Map.” map. Philadelphia University. 3 Apr.2004
http://www.philau.edu/directions/campusmap.html
4. Adam, David. “On a wing and a prayer: Climate change hits butterfly habitats.” The Guardian. 7 Jun. 2003:
Pg.10.
5. Marinelli, Janet, John M. Randall. Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden. Brooklyn Botanical Garden, 1996.
6. Eagan, Katie. “Invasive Plants in the United States.” Grounds Maintenance Periodical 39 (Jan.2001): 10.
7. Lerner, Joel M. “How to Build a Butterfly Garden.” The Washington Post 17 May 2003: F.12.
8. “English Ivy, Common Ivy.” Photograph. Dave’s Garden. 7 Apr. 2004
http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/7152/
9. Nice, Glenn, Rich Dirks. “Garlic + Mustard= A Problematic Invasive.” Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. 7
Apr.2004 http://ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/weeklypics/5-12-03.html
10. “Butterfly Bush, Summer Lilac,…” Photograph. Dave’s Garden. 7 Apr.2004
http://www.plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/31603/
11. Bailey, Stephanie. “How to Make Butterfly Gardens.” University of Kentucky Entomology. 31 Mar. 2004
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef006.htm
12. “Butterflies Found in Pennsylvania.” Butterfly Haven. 31 Mar. 2004
http://butterflyhaven.com/PennsylvaniaButterflies.htm
13. Boyd, Howard P. Wildflowers of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Plexus Publishing, Inc., 2001.