South Fork students, volunteers plant downtown flower beds
Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Private Lands Conservationist Mark McLain, left, demonstrates how to remove a native seedling from its container for South Fork Elementary School third graders Tuesday morning. The planting project on West Trish Knight Street in downtown West Plains used native Missouri perennials to establish a permanent habitat designed to attract vital pollinators such as butterflies, moths and bees.
STAFF / KIMBERLY LANGSTON
About two dozen South Fork Elementary third graders from the classes of Patricia Rodriguez and Kelsey Bonham join West Plains Downtown volunteers and Missouri Department of Conservation agents at the newly planted downtown pollinator bed on West Trish Knight Street. The youth volunteers installed roughly 560 native plants, including pale purple coneflower, garden phlox and foxglove beardtongue. The project serves as a practical extension of classroom science and Missouri history lessons regarding how indigenous peoples historically used native flora. MDC ordered the plants, using a cost-sharing program, from Missouri Wildflowers Nursery in Jefferson City. The site was prepped by the city transportation department, and the beds will be permanently maintained by West Plains Downtown volunteers.
STAFF / KIMBERLY LANGSTON
Posted
Keywords
south fork elementary school,
west plains downtown,
city of west plains,
west plains downtown pollinator garden,
missouri department of conservation,
