Oak Trace Elementary Butterfly Garden

Oak Trace Elementary Butterfly Garden Oak Trace Elementary is proud to announce our community butterfly garden! Our wildflower garden serves as a safe environment for our pollinators.

The future of monarch butterflies is threatened. Not only do these creatures bring beauty to our backyards, but they are also pollinators. Pollinators are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of the food we eat. Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch states, “Monarch butterfly populations are declining due to loss of habitat. To assure a future for monarchs, conservation and restoration of milkw

eed needs to become a national priority.” The use of chemicals on both plants and insects, the habitat loss due to development, and loss of milkweed has so greatly impacted the monarch that they have declined by 90% over the past 20 years. The mission of this project is the creation of a monarch habitat (in particular through the establishment of milkweed) on the school grounds by students and school community. The purpose of the waystation is to provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for monarch butterflies. This habitat will include the requirements to be a certified monarch waystation as required by Monarch Watch. It will include 2 varieties of milkweed as host plants, a variety of nectar plants which provide food, and sustainable gardening practices. These practices include:
• no use of pesticides
• proper preparation and maintenance of soil and plants
• thinning, dividing and mulching on an ongoing basis


The students will learn the life cycle of the monarch butterfly and its importance in the environment as a pollinator. They will learn the interdependence of plants and animals in the world and how the loss of one small plant such as milkweed can affect an entire species and even threaten extinction. Throughout the creation and maintenance of the monarch habitat, students will identify that they are stewards of the environment, of their community and ultimately their world. The hope is that they will be impacted and seek opportunities in the future to make a difference perhaps through continued education and careers where they can continue these kinds of efforts as biologists, environmentalists, educators and conservation. Students will understand that through the combined efforts of citizens such as themselves they can make a big difference even by what they choose to do in their backyard. We want to develop solutions that could be implemented to reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. Students will:
• observe and document the life cycle of the monarch in the habitat.
• participate in the certification process of the monarch waystation.
• experience the connection between themselves and their environment.

07/26/2022
07/26/2022

A visitor at the garden today 💙

Check your milkweed for monarch eggs and 🐛!
07/15/2021

Check your milkweed for monarch eggs and 🐛!

It truly takes a village! Our community garden is one of our favorite additions to Oak Trace Elementary PTO, and we coul...
03/31/2021

It truly takes a village! Our community garden is one of our favorite additions to Oak Trace Elementary PTO, and we couldn't have done it without the help of many businesses, organizations, teachers, students, and parents. A special thank-you to Tiffany Lawn & Garden Supply, Inc. for their generous (and continuous) donations to our beautiful garden. They offer open-air shopping at three Indy locations, 24/7 online ordering, and delivery! Let's support those who support us!

https://www.facebook.com/tiffanylawnandgardensupply

www.tiffanylawn.com

We will be giving each OTES student a packet of milkweed seeds along with a color page of instructions after Spring Brea...
03/30/2021

We will be giving each OTES student a packet of milkweed seeds along with a color page of instructions after Spring Break.

Oak Trace students will be receiving Milkweed seeds from PTO this spring - but if you’re looking for more seeds - check ...
03/02/2021

Oak Trace students will be receiving Milkweed seeds from PTO this spring - but if you’re looking for more seeds - check this out!

If you don't want to go into the library, check out this free Little Seed Library at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. It's just outside the Rose Bed on the east side of the parking area.

A VERY special thank you to our Cub Scouts for their help in our butterfly garden today! We are so grateful for the effo...
08/09/2020

A VERY special thank you to our Cub Scouts for their help in our butterfly garden today! We are so grateful for the efforts of our community, especially during this challenging season.

We were able to get months worth of work done in a short time and the children will be able to fully enjoy our garden in just a few short days. Our newest addition to the garden: socially distanced sitting stones for the students 🌱

08/03/2020

Why try to explain miracles to children when you can just have them plant a garden?
~ Robert Brault

Our beautiful bubbling boulder is up and running and waiting for school to start ♥️ And, that milkweed 🌱

Tiffany Lawn & Garden Supply, Inc.

Thank you SO MUCH to Evan - 2nd Grade and Adelyn - Kindergartener for pulling weeds and cleaning up at the garden!!! We...
07/27/2020

Thank you SO MUCH to Evan - 2nd Grade and Adelyn - Kindergartener for pulling weeds and cleaning up at the garden!!! We appreciate your hard work!!

Beautiful sunset at the butterfly garden tonight! If anyone can do us a HUGE favor - if you have access to a pickup truc...
07/26/2020

Beautiful sunset at the butterfly garden tonight! If anyone can do us a HUGE favor - if you have access to a pickup truck - we need to move those mountains of weeds to the school dumpster (north end of the building). Please message us if you are able to help (approx 30 minutes, we’ll load the weeds!) Thank you 🦋

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Westfield, IN

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