My name is Stephanie Kasulka. I have been a Girl Scout for 12 years, and now that I am a rising senior at Horace Greeley High School, I am completing my Gold Award project. Before being restored, the land that is now the Round Rock Preserve was heavily disrupted by construction. This rapid conversion of natural land into construction sites has destroyed the habitats of many pollinators and allowed for invasive species to creep in. To help combat this, I decided to focus on making the preserve a safe space for pollinators. Although most pollinators are very small, their importance is not to be overlooked. Pollinators are responsible for fertilizing plants through a process called pollination. This process requires pollinators to transfer pollen from a male to a female plant in order to create the production of seeds. The majority of agriculturally produced food relies on pollination by animals and insects. This means that if pollinators were to disappear, plants that humans, as well as many other animals, depend on as a food source, would grow smaller in size, in lesser quantities, or in some cases not at all. If pollinators were unable to perform their vital job, the consequences would destroy the food chain. Additionally, pollinators play a key role in the maintenance of clean air and water as plants that require pollination are also responsible for the production of oxygen and the prevention of erosion that would contaminate water. In order to support the pollinators on the preserve, I created a 480 square foot pollinator garden filled with over 60 plants and established 6 bluebird nesting boxes.

Some of the most common pollinators to the Northeast are Honey Bees, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Moths, and hummingbirds. In order to create a space that would best support these species, I made sure that my garden only included native flowering plants. In total, 15 different species of plants were included in the garden. Agastache Foeniculum, Anise Hyssop, Monarda Fireball, and Monarda Fistclosa helped to attract hummingbirds. Phlox Paniculata, Goldenrod, Coreopsis verticillata, Echinacea Coneflower, Black Eyed Susan, Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, and Mountain Mint helped to attract butterflies and moths. Wild Basil, Zizia Aurea, Penstemon Digitalis, Ajuga, and many of the previously mentioned species were planted to attract all different types of bees.

While not entirely intentional, bluebirds play an important role in pollination. Like many species of birds, as they seek out food and habitat, they frequently carry pollen from one plant to another. To help the bluebirds establish a safe place to raise their young and continue their important work in the pollination process, I taught younger Girl Scouts to build bluebird nesting boxes. These nesting boxes were then placed on polls on the outskirts of the preserve’s meadow. This location was intentionally chosen to best support the survival of the birds. The edge of a meadow provides an ideal location for nesting boxes as it provides safety from other species of birds such as nesting wrens or house sparrows, while being close enough to the forest that the birds are not vulnerable in the open meadow.