The Butterfly Garden of Philadelphia University

1. 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.

2. Philadelphia University • 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”)

3. 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”)

4. “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.

5. 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”)

6. 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)

7. Picturesof Our Hard Work Janine and Nicole bagging leaves Laury posing while working Janine playing with the dirt The boys cutting back pesky plants

8. 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. (Marinelli/Randall, 11 ) (David, 10)

9. Invasive Species in Our Butterfly Garden 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”)

10. Invasive Species Pictures English Ivy: Garlic Mustard: (“English Ivy, Common Ivy…”) Butterfly Bush: (“Garlic + Mustard= A Problematic Invasive”) (“Butterfly Bush,…”)

11. 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? • Milk Weed or Butterfly Weed • Goldenrod • Aster • Coneflower • Lilac Butterfly Weed Aster Goldenrod (“How to make Butterfly Gardens”)

12. 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”)

13. How to Make A Butterfly Garden A Success • 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”)

14. Bibliography 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.