Creating a Habitat

Fulfilling the Maryland Green Schools Best Management Practice - Habitat

Restoration

Why Restore a Habitat?

• Suburban sprawl

• The sterile landscape

• Nature under attack – the invasive dilemma

• Students, stewards of the future

• Schools educating the community

Where to Begin• Know your property

– Find out the boundaries of your school property

• Take a walk– Look for possible solutions to

existing problems • Do you have an area that

floods or is wet for a long time after it rains?

• Do you have a retention pond or drainage area that is unattractive?

• Do you have fields and fields of mowed turf?

• Is there a corner or a space that is hard to mow, for example, between buildings or between walkways, or on a slope?

• Does your school have an existing courtyard or front garden that needs revival?

• Are there any streams or natural bodies of water on school property?

– Look for areas that would be visible by students, faculty and visitors.

• Existing courtyards• Areas around outdoor

classrooms• Between buildings• The front of the school

building

Other Considerations

– Check for light and soil conditions

• How many hours of sun does the area receive?

• Is it filtered sun, morning sun, afternoon sun, or more than 6 hours of sunlight?

• Is the area flat, sloped, rocky, wet, dry, compacted?

• Decide on the type of habitat– Rain garden– No mow zone– Stream buffer– Butterfly Garden– Bird Garden– Pollinator or

Insectary Garden– Tree zones– Living fences– The possibilities are

endless. You can create more than one!

Getting Students Involved

• Plot out the dimensions– Have a “contest”– Design lessons from the Art teacher– Real-life mathematics– Involving the technology class

• Plant possibilities– Where to find

native plant information (USFW booklet)

– Bringing in a Master Gardener as a guest speaker

– Choosing plants that benefit wildlife

– Choosing plants that fit the site

– The three-season garden

A Brief Lesson in Latin

• How do you know you are getting a native plant?– Look for plants with their correct botanical name, and not

just the common name– The botanical name should have only the genus and

species, no other names or words in quotes» Example: Ilex glabra is the species Ilex glabra ‘Shamrock’ is a cultivar Inkberry is the common name

Ilchester Elementary School Butterfly Habitat

After Creating the Plant List

• Get approval from the Grounds Department• Work with your school’s maintenance staff• Look for funding

– Grants– Your PTA

• Resources for purchasing native plants– Chesapeake Natives Nursery (chesapeakenatives.org)– Local nurseries (Behnke’s)– Native plant sales (Audubon, Lahr Symposium)– Other sources, Maryland Native Plant Society website

(mdflora.org)– Be wary about taking donated plants

Planting• Know when is the

correct time to plant– Woodies from March

through May– Perennials from April

through May– Annuals, after Mother’s

Day

• Prepare for planting day– Wait for rain– Demonstrate how to

plant– Don’t forget to water– Take care not to

trample through the garden

Ilchester Elementary School Butterfly Garden, Established 2009

Maintenance

• Keeping weed-free– Often and early is the key

• Watering wisely– The first year– Summertime– Consider a rain barrel– Mulch– What about a compost bin?

• Dealing with pests• Maintaining the garden in

winter• Adding plants

Using Your Habitat• Lessons in Ecology

– Keeping journals– Adding structures

• The outdoor classroom• Homes for wildlife• Bringing nature up-close; supplemental

feeding, seeds, nectar, etc.– Guided nature walks– Getting involved, citizen-science

projects• Project feederwatch

(www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/)• Great Backyard Bird Count (

www.audubon.org or www.birdsource.org)

• The Lost Ladybug Project (www.lostladybug.org)

• The Great Sunflower Project (www.greatsunflower.org)

• Project Budburst (www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst)

• Monarch Watch (www.monarchwatch.org)

Bring Your Lessons Home• Reach out to the

community– Have students write a

letter home describing the benefits of native plants

– Have students encourage their families to add native plants to their gardens (or for apartments, add a container with native plants).

• EDUCATORS: – Create your own native

garden at home, to grow it is to know it.