Students Install Campus Pollinator Garden

Biology majors Ben Kinkor and Lilly Sullivan, both entering their fourth year at Creighton this fall, planted a new pollinator garden of Nebraska native plants in the raised beds on the upper deck outside Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library in May. 

Creighton Sustainability's Becky Crowell also helped with the project and installation.

The students wanted to create a designated pollinator garden on campus to provide critical habitat for pollinators, such as butterflies, so they connected with the Office of Sustainability Programs last fall. The students prepared a plan. They talked to campus experts in biology, met with Facilities Management and wrote a proposal for funding. In April, the Creighton Student Sustainability Action Fund (CSSAF) Governance Committee and the Sustainability Governance Committee approved this infrastructure project.

Two of the raised beds were planted with wildflower seed mix and one bed was planted with small starter plants. Over the summer, signage will be installed to provide valuable information about the pollinator garden to those who visit the space. The upper deck will also be spruced up this summer as part of the Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library refresh. 

This project functions as a pollinator habitat, adds beauty to campus and provides educational opportunities for ecological and botanical coursework.