Native Gardens
There are two native gardens on the school property planted and maintained by the Green Team.
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Our goal is to increase native habitat on the school property to support pollinator diversity. We have specifically targeted Monarch butterflies by planting milkweeds and a variety of nectar sources in our gardens, but these gardens also provide habitat for a great diversity of other native pollinators.
These gardens will serve as a place for hands-on education related to gardening, native habitats, native pollinators, and the importance of biodiversity.
Outdoor Classroom Garden
In June 2022, the garden space in the outdoor classroom was expanded to create a native pollinator garden. Student and parent volunteers worked together to plant over 100 native plants into this new space.
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The plants and materials for the native garden addition was funded in part by a mini-grant from the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots & Shoots USA, Monarch Watch's free milkweed for schools program and generous donations from Natural Garden Natives, Midwest Groundcovers and Midwest Trading.
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In April 2023, the garden was certified as an official Monarch Waystation through the non-profit Monarch Watch. This means that the garden provides everything necessary to support all stages of the Monarch life cycle. Green Team students officially named the garden HC Storm Pollination Station. HC Pollination Station is garden number 43117 on
the Monarch Watch Waystation Registry.
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Kindergarten Garden
Each year, new native plants are added to the garden space outside of the Kindergarten classroom. These new additions are provided through generous donations from Natural Garden Natives, Midwest Groundcovers and Midwest Trading.
Native Plant Species
Both gardens are home to a wide variety of native plant species. Below is the current list of species in each garden.
Outdoor Classroom Garden
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Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi)
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Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
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Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
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Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
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Common Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
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Cylindrical Blazing star (Liatris cylindracea)
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Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
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Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
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False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
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Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
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Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
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New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
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Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum)
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Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
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Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
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Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
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Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)
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Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
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Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)
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Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
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Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)
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Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
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Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
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Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
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Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
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Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
Kindergarten Garden
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Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
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Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
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False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
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Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
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Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
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Hairy Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
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New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
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Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum)
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Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
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Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis pectinacea)
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Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)
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Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
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Sky Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense)
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Sweet Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa)