Build a butterfly garden on Ohio State’s campus

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Butterfly WeedThey bring color to the world and inspire the minds of both the old and the young. They’re an iconic symbol of beauty and creativity. Without them, some of our flowers and crops wouldn’t grow. They represent a splash of color in a city full of gray. Butterflies are all this and more. A butterfly garden would be a great addition to any home, even one as big as Ohio State’s Columbus campus.

Butterflies have long been considered valuable species by scientists. They serve as pollinators for crops and gardens and are indicators of healthy habitats. In some cases, butterflies can even benefit local economies, drawing tourists from all over the world to view them in their splendor. One of butterflies’ biggest contributions to a community is the knowledge we gain from them.

First, ensure their existence

Having a butterfly garden on campus will give Ohio State faculty and students the opportunity to study these unique insects in their own backyard. Because of butterflies’ ecological sensitivity, they’re perfect for demonstrating the effects of landscape fragmentation on a species population. With the continuing growth of the world population, more and more habitats are being replaced by development. It is important to research how this fragmentation of the environment will affect the ecosystems of the world, and butterflies may offer scientists a window into the future. Where better to begin this important research than the labs at Ohio State? Butterflies can show us a myriad of things, but we must first ensure their existence before we can learn from them.

(Get a fact sheet about butterfly gardens from CFAES’s outreach arm, OSU Extension, here. Photo: Tiger swallowtail on butterfly weed by Thomas G. Barnes via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

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