((PKG)) BUTTERFLY GARDEN
((Banner: Suburban Butterflies))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Adapted by: Aisha Henderson))
((Map: Warrenton, Virginia))
((NATS))
Come on out. Come on out, Ecology Club members.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
The Ecology Club has been in existence (for) probably about 14 years out of the 15 years that I’ve been here, and we’re quite active.
((NATS))
That other sweet potato here, and then maybe another one here.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
We talk about the need for a certain plant for an organism to survive. We talk about the cycles, because we’ve got eggs, we’ve got our larva, caterpillar,
((Courtesy Chyron: PB Smith Elementary Ecology Club))
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
and then we’ve got this chrysalis, and then they’re waiting patiently for it to emerge.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
And every day it’s an adventure and a discovery because there’s so much that we see.
((KEELY SCOTT, FOUNDER, BUTTERFLY GARDEN))
We had a butterfly bush at my house, off the side of my deck, and we actually had to cut it down when we built our deck, and I missed it so much and I loved looking at all the butterflies and I was like, vow, well we have a decreased population in our area. And I thought, oh, well, I can fix that. So, I developed this idea, and Ms. Dennee supported me one hundred percent.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
This attracts bees, and if you rub this, I bet you can tell me what that smells like.
((KEELY SCOTT, FOUNDER, BUTTERFLY GARDEN))
I don’t know, maybe I’m not smelling it right. It smells, like, minty.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
Well, it is in the mint family, but it’s licorice.
((KEELY SCOTT, FOUNDER, BUTTERFLY GARDEN))
Oh, I didn’t get that.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
Today, we didn’t see any monarchs, because I think it’s a little early, but we did see swallowtail caterpillars. That was the big one.
((AMELIA JAKUM, ECOLOGY CLUB MEMBER))
The swallow tail butterfly likes to eat dill, and that’s one of its favorite foods to eat. I thought all butterflies liked milkweed.
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
So we have all these different butterflies, and their larvae, but they’re not eating the same things. So, they’re not competing for the food and they can live harmoniously, like we should be doing.
((NATS))
((BARBARA DENNEE, TEACHER))
Inside there is a very smart caterpillar. It has actually made a cocoon out of the leaves, and inside, if you gently open one of them, maybe you can open up this one, just real gently, Maggie, you will see a little black caterpillar, and I believe it’s a painted lady.
((LINDA PAYNE SMITH, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL))
The garden has brought great joy to P.B. Smith, and when we first were charged with coming up with a mission statement for our school and our students, one part of it is that each student is environmentally conscious, and so through ecology club, and the use of our gardens, and our outreach of Mrs. Dennee from Kindergarten, preschool through fifth grade, students become conscious of how butterflies and how the garden, help our environment. So, our hope is that it will continue and our love for the environment and what is happening here at P.B. Smith, we hope to see go to every school at Fauquier County.
((NATS))
