The National Park College (NPC) pollinator garden received a $200 donation from the Mint Juleps Garden Club earlier this year.
Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Alexandra Barnard spoke at the Mint Juleps Garden Club's monthly meeting, where she discussed the campus pollinator garden, which she and Biology students Allie Strother and Caiden Ingram established in 2023.
“The garden was recognized in 2024 as a Certified Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program. This certification requires gardens to incorporate native plants, conserve water, avoid pesticides, and provide natural sources of food, water, cover, and places for wildlife to raise their young. On the NPC campus, this wildlife includes butterflies, bees, frogs, songbirds, and at least one armadillo,” Barnard said.
“In addition to providing resources for wildlife, the garden offers a space for students and campus employees to learn, connect with nature, and conduct research. Barnard is currently advising three students who are developing independent research projects related to creating a habitat for Arkansas’s state butterfly, the Diana fritillary (Speyeria Diana). To support their project, the Mint Juleps Garden Club made a $200 donation. The club plans to host the students at a future meeting so they can present the results of their project,” explained Barnard.
Barnard added, “I'm working with Biology students Connor McCain, Tanaya Miller, and Kaydence Pleasants, who are participating in independent research with the goal of helping the imperiled state butterfly, the Diana fritillary. We want the campus pollinator garden to provide food and habitat for all stages of the Diana life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to adult. We will use the funds generously donated by the Mint Juleps to purchase flowering plants that the adult butterflies can use as a nectar source, plus violets, which are the host plant for fritillary caterpillars.”
Pictured: A male and female Diana fritillary (Argynnis diana) butterfly mating. The female is blue, and the male is orange.