Ashley So Carly Starke

 Statement of the Situation ◦ Identification of the Problem  Proposed Solution  Background  Ethical Issues  Objectives  Rationale  Materials  Methods  Data Analysis  Implications  Taking Action  Conclusion

 Lack of biodiversity in animal species  Unused space and empty land  Development and construction ◦ Decreases amount of plants  Food source and habitat

 Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden ◦ Wildflowers

 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

 Contribution to the ecosystem ◦ Biodiversity  Lost due to alteration of habitat, species in surrounding area, and climate change

Rufous Ruby-throated Monarch Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

 Wildflowers ◦ Attract both hummingbirds and butterflies ◦ Source of food and protection  NJ climate ◦ Growing season ◦ Warm and dry ◦ Warm days, cools nights

 Responsibility to care for environment  Need resources, but also need to give back ◦ Give protection to species ◦ Conserve

 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

 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)

 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)

 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)

 Area  Moisture ◦ Water-accessible ◦ Drainage  Percolation tests  Sunlight ◦ Warm days, cool nights  Practicality ◦ Away from sports ◦ Visible from basketball court

 pH  Composition ◦ Minerals (Chlorine, zinc) ◦ Clay, sand  Moisture, drainage

 Based on proportions of silt, sand, and clay

 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)

 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)

Botanical NameCommon Name Cynoglossum amabileChinese Forget me Not Cosmos bipinnatusWild Cosmos Echinacea purpureaPurple Coneflower Gypsophila elegansBaby's Breath Hesperis matronalisDame's Rocket Ipomoea purpureaMorning Glory Lavatera trimestrisRose Mallow Linaria maroccanaBaby Snapdragon Lupinus succulentusWild Annual Lupine Monarda citriadoraLemon Mint Papaver rhoeasRed Poppy Rudbeckia hirtaBlack Eyed Susan Salvia coccineaScarlet Sage Silene armeriaNone-So-Pretty Trifolium incarnataCrimson Clover Tropaeoleum nanumNasturtium

Selectthe seed mixture. Pickyour planting location. Plantyour seeds. Waterthe seeds. Enjoyyour flowers. The color, variety and beauty will astound you. Pick a bouquet and enjoy them in your home as well.

 Spring  Clear area of all existing growth ◦ Particularly old roots - competition  Till ground ◦ Turn soil, rake area flat

 Next day ◦ Windless  Amount ◦ 1 lb. for 2, ,000 square feet ◦ Up to 3x minimum coverage rates ◦ Too dense inhibits growth

 Divide seed mixture in half  Add 10 parts sand  Hand-sow  Repeat  Advantages ◦ “Dilute seed” ◦ Avoid missing areas

 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)

 Annual responsibilities: ◦ Late fall: leave garden as is  Allows for any butterflies in egg, caterpillar, or chrysalis to survive winter ◦ Reseed annual blooms (optional)

 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

 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

 Drawbacks ◦ Requires maintenance ◦ May decrease insect populations  Cost ◦ $24.95 for seeds ◦ Fundraising to decrease cost

 Education ◦ Raise awareness ◦ Asbury Park Press for publicity article  “Construction” ◦ Organize ordering of and gathering of materials ◦ Coordinate maintenance of meadow

 Fundraising ◦ Contact American Meadows™ ◦ Write to PSFA ◦ Write to local botanists or NJ planting agencies ◦ Host fundraiser  Sell plantable paper

Fundraising  Eco-Calendar ◦ Plant pages

 Benefit outweigh costs/effort  Garden will: ◦ Increase biodiversity of flora and fauna ◦ Increase aesthetic appeal of area  Costs: ◦ Work ◦ $30.00

Any questions?

 American Meadows™. (2010). How to create your own wildflower meadow. Retrieved February 24, 2010 from wTo/WildflowerSeedPlantingInstructions.aspx.  Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (2010). Conservation from space: Landscape diversity helps to conserve insects. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 26, 2010, from /releases/2010/02/ htm.  Sutton, P. (2009). How to create a butterfly and hummingbird garden. New Jersey Audubon. Retrieved February 28, 2010 from  Staedter, T. (2005). Deer decreasing forest bird population. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 26, 2010 from  University of California - Santa Barbara (2009). Study of flower color shows evolution in action. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 2, 2010, from /releases/2009/06/ htm.