By Scout Nelson
The 50th annual Great Plains Conference, held April 8–10 in Lincoln, Nebraska, featured a poster session at the Great Plains Art Museum where Nebraska 4-H youth from Scotts Bluff County presented their upcoming pollinator garden project. The project will be installed this spring at the Scotts Bluff County Administration Building in Gering.
Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Laurie Zitterkopf supported the 4-H team during the presentation. “Mike (Zitterkopf) and I were able to transport the display and poster to the conference,” she said. Three 4-H members joined her at the event to answer questions and share details of their project. “Our 4-H youth attended to answer questions from the attendees. They had wonderful interest in the project and did very well presenting.”
The pollinator garden will be designed using native landscape guidelines from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. It focuses on butterfly's native to Scotts Bluff County, particularly on the larval stage of the butterfly life cycle.
The youth used the Nebraska Lepidoptera list of 89 butterfly species to select appropriate host plants. “With our research of the chosen butterflies, we have already learned that the Icaricia shasta, Shasta Blue, takes two years to complete its life cycle.”
Educational signage will accompany the garden, identifying butterfly species and their host plants. “We want to show with our educational sign and our garden how we can bring the rich landscape of the Great Plains into our living spaces.”
The garden is part of Nebraska’s Wildflower Week and will be planted on June 6, followed by a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend and view the garden’s development.
Photo Credit:istock-herreid
Categories: Nebraska, General