LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 14, 2024) — Honors students recently transformed the space between the University of Kentucky Lewis Honors College and The 90 into a pollinator garden, replacing non-native grasses and shrubs with vibrant native species.
The campus community worked together to prepare the garden by removing existing non-native plants as well as helping plant eight native species.
Through a partnership with UK Grounds in Facilities Management and the Lewis Honors College, students in this fall’s honors course, "The Lexington Ecosystem," took the lead in preparing and planting the pollinator garden, which was designed by students in last spring’s "Urban Restoration Ecology" course, taught by Senior Lewis Lecturer Kenton Sena, Ph.D. The idea for the project began in the spring of 2024 when Sena approached Facilities Management about involving students in the design of a garden on campus.
“Anytime students can get involved, it’s great,” said Hunter Garner, UK Grounds team lead for Area 2. “It’s a more organic experience when they get to plant it themselves and it also gives them ownership in the physical environment where they live and study.”
“It’s nice to have the opportunity to connect with students and see so many come to volunteer, learn something and create an area that will last on campus for years to come,” added UK Grounds team member Mitchell Pollard.
The two non-native plant species — boxwood and Miscanthus — were replaced with eight native species provided by UK Grounds: little bluestem “Standing Ovation,” prairie dropseed, butterfly milkweed, goldenrod, smooth aster, “Autumn Joy” sedum, red columbine and bluestar.
“The project creates a thriving habitat not only for pollinators and birds, but also for other members of our community — students, staff and faculty,” Sena said.
The project was the recipient of the first batch of compost from UK’s new on-campus composting facility.
“The final product from our new composting facility has been highly anticipated. It has been wonderful for us to be given the opportunity to work alongside Shane Tedder, Ryan Lark and the rest of the sustainability team to bring this operation to life,” said Corey Baker, UK Ground supervisor. “The native planting at the Lewis Honors College was the perfect setting to bring students, employees and faculty together to showcase the first implementation of compost onto campus.”
Zachary McComas, a political science and history senior in the Lewis Honors College, was in the class that planned the garden last semester. He came to help with the planting and see the project come to fruition.
“Projects like this are very important for the campus. Planning is the easier part, but getting out here and planting is making an impact,” he said. “In five or 10 years, this space will still be here making an impact for students and the whole campus community.”
From concept to completion, the students were hands-on — making the planting of the area all the more rewarding.
“I am so excited to see the implementation of the pollinator garden design. It was not only a fun, creative opportunity to be part of to create a more inviting space for students, but also an intentional design that honors native plant-insect linkages that support native pollinators,” said Ava Logsdon, nursing sophomore in the Lewis Honors College. “It’s a win-win. I can’t wait to enjoy the garden alongside fellow UK students and, hopefully, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife.”
The impact of the project wasn’t just felt by the students. For UK Grounds, the experience was equally rewarding.
“This project has been more rewarding than I thought it would be,” said Jerry Hart, UK Grounds superintendent. “This is one of the first projects I’ve interacted side-by-side with students and I feel very accomplished in knowing the students have had a real-world experience. They have worked hard planning something and they saw it through to completion. This project brought their studies outside and has made an impact.”
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.
Kenton Sena, senior Lewis Honors College lecturer, partnered with UK Grounds to design and create a pollinator garden with his students.
Jennifer T. Allen
Mitchell Pollard, UK Grounds team member, helped plant the pollinator garden with Lewis Honors College students.
Lewis Honors College students collaborated with UK Grounds to plan and plant a pollinator garden near The 90.
Hunter Garner, UK Grounds team lead for Area 2, enjoyed involving students in the project.