Battling {the lack of} Biodiversity: A Butterfly & Hummingbird Meadow

1. Battling {the lack of} Biodiversity:A Butterfly & Hummingbird Meadow Ashley So Carly Starke

2. Overview • Materials • Methods • Data Analysis • Implications • Taking Action • Conclusion • Statement of the Situation • Identification of the Problem • Proposed Solution • Background • Ethical Issues • Objectives • Rationale

3. Statement of the Situation • Lack of biodiversity in animal species • Unused space and empty land • Development and construction • Decreases amount of plants • Food source and habitat

4. Solution • Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden • Wildflowers

5. Background • Local species to central NJ • Hummingbirds • Arrive mid-April and stay until early September • Ruby-throated and Rufous • Butterflies • Migrate from south during spring • Monarch and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail • Habitat: warm and dry, protection • Massed planting of one type • Caterpillar food plant • Weedy plants host to species • Heights • Food source: nectar

6. Background • Contribution to the ecosystem • Biodiversity • Lost due to alteration of habitat, species in surrounding area, and climate change

7. Background Ruby-throated Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Rufous Monarch

8. Background • Wildflowers • Attract both hummingbirds and butterflies • Source of food and protection • NJ climate • Growing season • Warm and dry • Warm days, cools nights

9. NJ Climate

10. Ethical Issues • Responsibility to care for environment • Need resources, but also need to give back • Give protection to species • Conserve

11. Ethical Issues

12. Objectives • Purpose: bring butterflies and hummingbirds to BTHS • Observe and record species • Flowers, hummingbirds, butterflies • Observe what plants species are attracted to • Effects of solution • Advantages • Habitat for species • Biodiversity • Observing nature

13. Rationale • Landscape designs to conserve species • Sites with greater diversity of habitat types and more varied terrain tend to have butterfly populations that are more stable over time • Woodland, grassland, heathland • Become adaptable • Change in climate • (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, 2010)

14. Rationale • Evolution of columbine flowers in North America • Red, white, yellow • Plant population shift • Hummingbird-pollinated red flowers • Hawkmoth-pollinated white or yellow flowers • Natural selection to change flower color • (University of California - Santa Barbara, 2009)

15. Rationale Evaluate impact deer grazing can have on nest quality and food resources of birds Decline of forest birds Disease, loss of habitat and increase in number of animals that prey on bird nests (Staedter, 2005)

16. Site Selection • Area • Moisture • Water-accessible • Drainage • Percolation tests • Sunlight • Warm days, cool nights • Practicality • Away from sports • Visible from basketball court

17. Soil Quality • pH • Composition • Minerals (Chlorine, zinc) • Clay, sand • Moisture, drainage

18. Soil Classification • Based on proportions of silt, sand, and clay

19. Materials • Meter sticks, accurate to the nearest 0.1 m • Shovels • Rakes • American Meadows™ Butterfly & Hummingbird Seed Mixture, 1 lb. ($24.95) • Buckets • Sand • Hose (water) • Scarecrow (optional)

20. Seed Mixture • Wildflowers – extremely adaptable • Mix of perennial + annual blooms • First year • Sprout: ~2 weeks (8 days – months) • Bloom: 3-4 weeks after sprouting • Annual blooms • Following years: • Heavy perennial bloom + reseeded annual bloom • Store in cool, dry place (5 years)

21. Wildflowers of the Seed Mixture

22. Planting Wildflowers

23. Preparing the Soil • Spring • Clear area of all existing growth • Particularly old roots - competition • Till ground • Turn soil, rake area flat

24. Sowing the Seeds • Next day • Windless • Amount • 1 lb. for 2,000 - 3,000 square feet • Up to 3x minimum coverage rates • Too dense inhibits growth

25. Split & Sand Method • Divide seed mixture in half • Add 10 parts sand • Hand-sow • Repeat • Advantages • “Dilute seed” • Avoid missing areas

26. After Sowing the Seeds • DO NOT rake or cover with soil • Compress seeds into soil • “Seed to soil” contact • Scare birds (optional) • Keep soil moist for 2-4 weeks • Weed by “clumping” • (American Meadows™, 2010)

27. Maintenance of the Meadow • Annual responsibilities: • Late fall: leave garden as is • Allows for any butterflies in egg, caterpillar, or chrysalis to survive winter • Reseed annual blooms (optional)

28. Data Collection • Observe and record types of plant growth and animal species • Photograph • Identify and classify species • Randomly select 10 plants of each type to measure average heights • Plot scatterplot of number of butterflies or hummingbirds attracted to specific flowers • To plan for future – which plants to reseed

29. Timeline • Monday, March 8 • Place order (5 business days) • Tuesday, March 16 • Till land • Wednesday, March 17 (after school) • Sow seeds • Thursday, March 18 – Thursday, April 1 • Water area, weed • Thursday, April 1 – Thursday, April 29 • Record types of flowers, plants, animal species

30. Implications • Drawbacks • Requires maintenance • May decrease insect populations • Cost • $24.95 for seeds • Fundraising to decrease cost

31. Groups • Education • Raise awareness • Asbury Park Press for publicity article • “Construction” • Organize ordering of and gathering of materials • Coordinate maintenance of meadow

32. Fundraising • Contact American Meadows™ • Write to PSFA • Write to local botanists or NJ planting agencies • Host fundraiser • Sell plantable paper

33. Fundraising • Eco-Calendar • Plant pages

35. Conclusion • Benefit outweigh costs/effort • Garden will: • Increase biodiversity of flora and fauna • Increase aesthetic appeal of area • Costs: • Work • $30.00

36. Thank you very much. Any questions?

37. References • American Meadows™. (2010). How to create your own wildflower meadow. Retrieved February 24, 2010 from http://www.americanmeadows.com/QuickGuideToWildflowers/WildflowerHowTo/WildflowerSeedPlantingInstructions.aspx. • Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (2010). Conservation from space: Landscape diversity helps to conserve insects. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2010/02/100207214126.htm. • Sutton, P. (2009). How to create a butterfly and hummingbird garden. New Jersey Audubon. Retrieved February 28, 2010 from http://www.njaudubon.org/SectionBackyardHabitat/CreateaGarden.aspx. • Staedter, T. (2005). Deer decreasing forest bird population. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 26, 2010 from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=deer-decreasing-forest-bi. • University of California - Santa Barbara (2009). Study of flower color shows evolution in action. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/06/090629165110.htm.