As some of you might have noticed, the small grass hill in front of the school has been switched out for many vibrant plants some time in the last few months. If you’re anything like us, you definitely have questions. What are these plants? Why are they here? And most importantly— is anything here edible? These new plants, however, aren’t just random; instead, they’re our school’s very own Butterflyway. For this article, we invited the creator of this project, Miss Higgs, to answer all those questions, share some of her own opinions, and to pick a favourite child-plant from the bunch.
Could you give us a general overview of the Butterfly Way Project and why it’s important?
The Butterfly Way is an initiative started by David Suzuki to restore our pollinator (bees, butterflies) population by planting more native plants. Miss Higgs applied to be a “Butterfly Ranger,” and when given the opportunity to turn a part of the school’s free space into a Butterflyway, she jumped at the opportunity. She uses a great example to explain why projects like this are so important: the Gary oak tree, a native species to this area, might be able to host 100 different species of insects, wildlife, and more–while a non-native tree can host less than what you can count on one hand.
By creating our own Butterflyway, Sentinel Secondary is helping our land thrive. Not only that, but the project can help us students too! Miss Higgs has sent out both her English First Peoples and Social Justice classes out to work on the garden, as a way to help them feel more connected to the land and the native culture. “We are so disconnected with the land now,” she says. “Many people don’t think about where their food is coming from, their clothes, and it’s hard.” In the future, she hopes that more classes can join in so that the school can work together to cultivate a bountiful experience which connects us to the land.
What are some plants that are going to be in the garden?
There is going to be evergreen, huckleberry, yarrow, and salal. A few years back, there was a fact sheet created for each plant which included: a picture, the common name, the scientific name, how it grew, its conditions, and what its indigenous uses were.
What is your favourite/least favourite plant?
Ms. Higgs’ favourite plant, after much deliberation, would be the willow tree! There has been one planted at Sentinel.While it has yet to grow, in two years, the tree can be cut down and woven into craft. A close contender was the strawberry plant because you can (guess what!) eat them.
Her least favourite would be the dandelion because they simply grow everywhere. Although it is a native invader and the yellow, petaled version has Ms. Higgs’ stamp of approval, the puffball form always sparks the beginning of a dandelion takeover. The seeds spread absurdly fast with the wind and before you know it, you’re in a weed wonderland.
What’s the fiercest type of flower? A dandelion!
How can others help with the garden?
Classes can plough land, plant gardens, grow plants, sell plants (Marketing classes, we’re looking at you!), advertise the garden (Marketing classes, you again!), and maintain the garden (de-weed, winterize, collect leaves). Science classes, such as biology, could do all kinds of things with the garden (study growing conditions, draw comparisons between different gardening techniques like re-seeding). The art classes could also make posters about the plants and spread them around the school.
Students are free to approach Miss Higgs to become further involved if they have a green thumb!
Any tips for anyone wanting to grow a personal garden?
Miss Higgs believes that the most important thing to starting a garden is to just go for it! Experiment, see what you like, and never be scared. “I’ve always been afraid of failing,” she explains, but as she has learned from her experience, failure is something that comes with gardening—and it will ultimately make you more experienced. However, we weenies (who are scared of a dead plant or two) asked her what plants are beginner-friendly (rumour is that any plant they touch will die within the next week). The answer? For Miss Higgs, the yarrow is the easiest indigenous plant to grow. Spider plants are also a non-indigenous option that is low-maintenance. Slap that into your next Kahoot.
Where do you get indigenous plants?
For this, Miss Higgs also had to do some personal investigating. She was originally given 13 plants from the David Suzuki foundation to start off her garden, but eventually became curious about the plants and seeked out more. Miss. Higgs’ thorough research has found a few great places for getting native plants. For one, Wild Bird Trust is a non-profit organisation based in North Van which specialises in selling native plants. Sentinel plans on hosting our own native plant sales in the future with the seeds and starters plants from our Butterfly Way.
How do you think we as a school and community can further pay respects to the land we are on?
Considering waste intake is a huge part of respecting the land we are on. People often needlessly dispose of materials that could be reduced, reused, or recycled. Such unsustainable and easily avoidable practices damage the environment in ways we may not be aware of.
Ms. Higgs also recommends planting indigenous plants over foreign ones because they cost less resources. Think about your lawn: watering it constantly over the summer is probably not the most efficient use of water. Artificially placed plants often require certain conditions that the local environment may not offer (think about bringing a cactus from the Sahara to live in Raincouver… you would need to simulate a wildly different situation). But native plants, which are used to the weather here, would be able to thrive effortlessly in our local climate, because they’re naturally built for it. We respect our land by respecting our natural resources.
We could take this a step further and even invite Squamish nations to tell us about the land from before schools and homes went up. Understanding the land is the first step to healing it.
Ultimately, understanding how to protect our environment and being conscious of the ways we contribute to climate change are essential. Grow indigenous plants if you can to save resources– we promise it’ll be just as fulfilling. By participating in the Butterflyway project, Sentinel has taken a crucial step forward to bringing pollinators back into the community for everyone’s sake. Without creatures like butterflies, the planet would quite literally die and we would follow suit. So before you start screaming at the bee buzzing around your friend’s neck, just remember that the bee’s cousin is responsible for the mango you so love eating.
What did the butterfly say to the caterpillar?
“Hey, you look familiar!”
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