MANSFIELD, Ohio — Within a matter of a few years, the brown oblong-shaped plots of grass outside Ovalwood Hall at The Ohio State University at Mansfield Campus will flourish with flower gardens conducive to pollinators.
Thursday afternoon, a ceremony was held to celebrate the beginning of what’s been dubbed the “Monarch Right-of-Way: A Pollinator Demonstration Plot.” That name was chosen partly because of the plots’ location, noted Marne Titchenell, wildlife program specialist with OSU Extension.
The plots are located under a FirstEnergy electrical utility line.
The goal is to create a demonstration area to show landowners who have utility rights-of-way on their property some alternative wildlife habitats.
Four plots will be planted with different varieties of native grasses and flowers such as purple coneflower, wild bergamot, tall coreopsis and butterfly weed specially chosen to attract pollinators in this region. Two will be seeded in November with seeds donated by Ohio Prairie Nursery and the rest of the areas will be planted with small plants in spring. A plot along the tree line will include viburnum shrubs.
“They don’t look like much now, but in a couple of years, they will be full of flowering blooms for pollinators, both bees and butterflies,” Titchenell said.
Denise Ellsworth, program director of honeybee and native pollinator education at OSU Extension, noted the importance of pollinators. “About one in every three bites of food that we take comes to us because of animal pollinators,” she said.
“And insects are really the key animal pollinators…And of those, the bees are really key,” she added.
The primary pollinators expected to be attracted are bees. According to Ellsworth, there are approximately 400 species of bees in Ohio.
A variety of butterflies, including Monarchs, are also expected frequent the garden. Monarchs depend on milkweed for food, a place to lay their eggs and fuel to complete their spectacular migrations. Appropriately, several species of milkweed will be planted into each of the four plots. Some milkweed plants were planted Thursday at the ceremony.
Brian White, project manager with OSU-Mansfield, said this project is part of a larger initiative, alluding to the EcoLab.
“The vision is for this campus to have an environmental and ecological driven purpose,” he said.
Ohio State Extension, FirstEnergy, Ohio Prairie Nursery, the Pollinator Partnership, Arnold’s Landscaping, Davey Tree and the Utility Arborists Association collaborated to help bring this project about.
Patrick Failor of FirstEnergy said that because of this project, “We have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate best management practices in utility forestry while providing a platform of research and public outreach.”
