THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606210268
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 65 lines
While students from Independence Middle School worked in their new butterfly garden recently, a little white cabbage butterfly flitted from flower to flower as if to applaud their efforts with its beating wings.
The students studied butterflies for the last nine weeks of school in Steve Carozza's seventh-grade advanced life science class. The garden is the culmination of a project that included everything from library research into the abundance of butterflies in the area, to constructing butterfly cages, to listening to talks by butterfly experts.
The pilot program, which was dubbed the Young Lepidopterists Project, was sponsored by the Sierra Club and the Butterfly Society of Virginia. At the end of the school year, students gave a presentation on what they had learned at the Sierra Club's June meeting.
The two groups are hoping that the butterfly project will be developed into a formal curriculum that can be used by other middle school science teachers across the city. Meanwhile, the butterfly studies will be a part of Carozza's advanced life science class next year and the new students will take over maintenance of the garden, Carozza said.
Recently, this year's students were taking class time to weed and add more plants to their pretty garden that stretched along the fence beyond the entrance to the school.
The students had divided into teams and each team designed its own section of the 200-square-foot garden, explained Joyce Anne Koubaroulis.
The students learned that plants such as butterfly bush, zinnias and lantana attracted butterflies to their nectar. They planted those among other flowers and also evergreens so the garden would look presentable in winter.
Students also had researched which plants butterfly caterpillars must have to feed on. For example, Michelle Foster was planting parsley that day. Parsley is a ``host plant'' for caterpillars of the beautiful Eastern black swallowtail butterfly, Foster said.
That means the black swallowtail with its iridescent blue-black color will lay its eggs on the parsley plant. The caterpillars that emerge will grow big and strong feasting on parsley leaves.
A few weeks ago, the students raised some painted lady butterflies from eggs. They watched the metamorphosis from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly in the classroom and then released the handsome orange, black and white butterflies into their butterfly garden.
The students weren't able to document the decline in butterflies in the area, said Justin Margolius who was in charge of the team of students studying population decline, but he said the use of pesticides and the loss of habitat had had a visible effect.
``More gardens will bring the population back,'' he said.
``Conserve wetlands and swamps,'' added Jimmy Loughran. ``Plant a garden.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Students at Independence Middle School researched which plants
butterfly caterpillars must have to feed on. For example, Michelle
Foster was planting parsley, a ``host plant'' for caterpillars of
the beautiful Eastern black swallowtail butterfly, she said.
Students like Colleen Vitz and Adrienne Fleming divided into teams,
and each team designed its own section of the 200-square-foot garden
to plant plants and bulbs that would eventually attract more
butterflies. by CNB