Objectives:

• To determine the optimal conditions for germinating, growing, and maintaining a variety of wildflower species native to Missouri.

• To observe and study the natural history of a variety of butterfly species to better understand the ecology of the urban butterfly community of St. Louis.

The principal aim of the “Seeds to Wings” project is to incorporate practical ecological research into the high school biology curriculum throughout the academic year.  At each participating school standardized butterfly gardens will be established and used as live traps to survey the structure and organization of the St. Louis urban butterfly community.  The fall semester should begin with general observations about which butterflies visit each school and how they utilize the available resources.  Germination experiments can be started later in the semester as the winter holidays offer an excellent opportunity to study the effects of pre-germination cold treatments. Come springtime, the seedlings of the various plants can be utilized for a variety of growth studies and students should be encouraged to take their plants home and start their own butterfly friendly, native wildflower garden.  Again, outdoor surveys of each school’s butterfly gardens should provide plenty of information to analyze the emergence of the native wildflowers as well as the springtime butterfly community. 

This project relates to a variety of curricular topics while fulfilling state and district standards (primarily strands 4 and 7).  The standardized wildflower gardens are encouraged to be used as outdoor classrooms where ecological interactions can be observed and studied.  Furthermore, many additional demonstrations or investigations could branch off the main project depending upon the inclinations, creativity, and time constraints of each classroom teacher. A number of potential questions can be addressed by individual students and extension projects would not only be easy to generate, but could also be presented at local science fairs. The results of the urban butterfly surveys across multiple seasons and the floral responses of the native wildflowers in the urban environment could even be published in regional journals or presented through the local media. 

We welcome any questions or comments. Please contact us via e-mail at jlnp82@umsl.edu

Many of the butterfly photos courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation