Baldwin County Schools starts butterfly garden to teach students about pollination

The district's first garden was established at Baldwin High School in 2019.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Baldwin County School District is expanding its gardens by adding a butterfly garden.

First grade students at Lakeview Primary school were eager to get their hands dirty. They each grabbed a gardening shovel and got to work spreading dirt. Each school in the district is getting the opportunity to teach students about the pollination process.

“We really want our students to learn where their food comes from, how to grow it and pollinator beds are very important to that whole process,” School Nutrition Director Susan Nelson said.

A’keti Mayweather, the district’s garden project manager, says the first garden was established in 2019 at Baldwin High School.

According to Mayweather, the butterfly garden has provided students an opportunity to engage in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) fields.

“This will help us display native plants with an educational portion to it so students are learning about pollination, why it’s important that we have bees and butterflies, what are their jobs in our ecoystem,” she said.

Students at Lakeview Primary got the opportunity to work with plants like butterfly bushes, lantana, and joe-pye weeds. Along with planting, the students get to go on scavenger hunts to learn more about what the garden will attract.

According to Mayweather, teachers will appreciate this opportunity to engage in the new learning process.

As the colder months get closer, the district says it will place a layer of straw over the butterfly bed. After winter, they will replant new plants.