A small crowd gathered for the dedication of the Pollinator Garden on June 6 at the Scotts Bluff County Courthouse in Gering. 4-H members and Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners, along with the crowd, watched as Scotts Bluff County Commissioner Mike Blue cut a flowered ribbon on the sign listing ten butterflies and some of the plants they feed on at the dedication.
The tiered flower bed was planned and planted by Master Gardener Laurie Zitterkopf and area 4-H members, including Justine Wilkinson, “We made a display and researched the butterflies, designed a garden, and decided where to place the plants. I also created a ‘Key’ for the plants.”
Wilkinson and 4-H member Hunter Creech were in charge of the younger members, helping with the project. Each youth chose a butterfly and a native plant that it can feed off of in western Nebraska. Creech chose the Shasta Blue butterfly and created a rock garden for it. “I designed the rock garden (which is a typical habitat for the butterfly) and its location. Learning design and where to place plants to look the best they can.” He said of his favorite flowers in the bed, “Lupins Milk Vetch, they look cool and are native to the area.”
Zitterkopf and the 4-Hers researched the flowering plants they wanted to add to the pollinator bed. They figured out the pollinators they wanted to attract, when the flowers would bloom, and which plants would have a long blooming season to serve as many pollinators as possible.
Zitterkopf started the native plants from seeds, and others were brought in by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, which assisted with questions on design and plants.
“In Lincoln, we collect the seed from native seed sources for most of them (plants). Some of them we do get from Bluebird Nursery in Clarkson, Neb., but they are all native and well-adapted plants to our state and designed to serve the pollinator,” said Hanna Pinneo, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum executive director. In order to get the native plants, Pinneo and her team collect the seeds from plants growing in Nebraska. “It's usually pretty hot in Nebraska, so you just got to go out, find the right sources, get permission (if on private land), and then collect the seed.” The group will store the seed for the next season. Some seeds will require cooling, water stratification, or other techniques to keep the seeds viable for growing.
Among the crowd and cutting the dedication ribbon for the garden was Mike Blue, Scotts Bluff County Commissioner for District One. “I love it (pollinator garden), I’m also into gardening and planting flowers to attract pollinators to my veggies. Gardening is also a good therapy for mental well-being.” He said some of his favorite flowers include Mallow, which has a big, hardy bloom.
4-H members and young volunteers on the project include: Hunter, Brooklyn, Gage, Ember, and Drake Creech, Paisley Closson, Justine and Jake Wilkinson, Phoebe Behnke, and Copper and Kendall Gray.
