Brian Ringler, a member of Slippery Rock University's facilities and planning department, and Erin Strain, director of SRU leadership development at the Leadership Development Center, began transforming the LDC's front yard into the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden in 2015.

SLIPPERY ROCK — It's been two years in the making, but the front yard at Slippery Rock University's Leadership Development Center is becoming a little bit of heaven for butterflies, hummingbirds and a variety of indigenous plants.

And the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden could provide the seed for the reintroduction of threatened plant species and an innovative gardening technique across the university campus.

<b>Seeds of an idea</b>In 2015, Erin Strain, director of SRU leadership development at the LDC, and Brian Ringler, a member of SRU's facilities and planning department, began transforming the LDC's front yard on the northeast corner of campus into the garden using an environmentally friendly “lasagna method.”Strain said at the time the front of the center was just a grass yard.The two decided to collaborate on a more innovative landscape for the center where Strain is in charge of professional development for the university's faculty and staff and running leadership labs for students.

<b>Doing the groundwork</b>They began with the lasagna method, which layered a series of organic and compostable ingredients on top of the current grass, including recycled newspaper and corrugated brown cardboard, water, and natural hardwood mulch that is then “baked” in the sun over a summer.Ringler said eight layers of newspaper were placed on top of the existing grass and then covered with corrugated cardboard in May 2015. Eight inches of hardwood mulch was placed on top of that, and the 70-by-38 -foot plot was allowed to cook until September.“It suppresses all the grasses and weeds,” said Ringler. “The cardboard is recycled and reused boxes without a lot of ink.”He said buying the hardwood mulch was the most expensive item.“It's been three summers and we haven't had any (weeds) come up yet,” he said.“There's no maintenance, it's drought-resistant, no fertilizers are needed,” Ringler said. “It's the lowest maintenance plot I have on campus and the most ecologically friendly.”Strain said, “The advantages of doing the lasagna method are you don't disturb the ground and it doesn't take as much labor, you're not pulling out the sod.”“The system is a very sustainable garden,” she added.

<b>Going green</b>The next step was to plant the garden in 2016.“I did the research and took a class at Phipps Conservatory,” said Strain. “Phipps gave me a lot of great resources.”One of those resources, she said was iConserve Pa., a website created by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.In designing the garden, the pair settled on a design promoted by iConserve that incorporates 16 different types of native perennials and three different types of native shrubs to provide a welcoming habitat for both the hummingbirds and butterflies.SRU's Green Fund provided funding for the plants. The Green Fund helps environmentally friendly programs on campus by supporting approved sustainable progressive projects, educational programs and activities that promote sustainability.Ringler said, “We really appreciated the opportunity for getting the grant and Dallas Cott, the assistant director of campus services for his support and the facilities and planning department.”“We are losing a lot of native plants to invasive species and loss of habitat and we thought 'Why don't we use native plants?'” said Ringler.The indigenous plants were purchased from Sylvania Natives, a nursery in Pittsburgh that only grows and sells such plants.Ringler said the nursery owner, Kathy McGregor, is the one who recommended the lasagna method.The garden is planted in such species as swamp milkweed, New England aster, cardinal flower and creeping flox. These are plants favored by butterflies, and blazing star and white beardtongue are lures for hummingbirds.

<b>Growing into its own</b>Ringler said, “This was the first year I saw a hummingbird. It's going to be awhile before they come to the area.”He and Strain said they both encountered some skepticism when the garden was first laid out.“But you have to view it as the garden is now in its junior year,” said Strain. “In 2019, it will be a senior and ready to graduate.”And by that, they mean, the plants in the garden will be budding and plants will have to be split up and transplanted.“The garden will eventually pay for itself by creating new plant starts every year,” said Ringler.Some of the plant starts could wind up in a new flower plot being created using the lasagna method at the Fowler Building, which houses the Sustainable Enterprise Accelerator.Ringler said the students at the SEA were inspired by the butterfly garden and decided to use its methods at Fowler. By next year, the plot may be ready to receive transplants from the original garden.Strain said American Bloom, a nonprofit organization that promotes community enhancement programs through the use of flowers, plants, and trees through competition between participating communities, will be in Slippery Rock later this year.“We hope to bring them down here to take a look,” said Ringler.In the meantime, bees and butterflies, and, it is hoped, soon more hummingbirds, will be visiting the garden during the summer.

A butterfly lands on a blazing star plant, one of 16 different types of native perennials and three different types of native shrubs.

Butterfly garden by Leadership Development Center on the Slippery Rock University campus.

The project began with layers of newspaper and cardboard to suppress the grass and weeds.