TWU's Biology, Visual Arts produce How to Make a Pollinator Garden

Oct. 10, 2024 – DENTON – The latest publication from the Texas Woman's University's faculty is not so literary or academic as it is down and dirty.

In the dirt with native Texas grasses and flowers, to be exact.

How To Make a Pollinator Garden, a bilingual picture book in English and Spanish, teaches readers why pollinators are important, what kids can do to help them thrive, and provides step-by-step instructions to create a pollinator garden.

The full-color hardcover book is on sale online, and all proceeds from sales will support the Bettye Myers Butterfly Garden.

An interdisciplinary project funded in part by the Texas Woman's University Creative Arts and Humanities Grant, the book was written by Camelia Maier, PhD, TWU Biology professor with scholarly expertise in plant-pollinator relationships and director of the Bettye Myers Butterfly Garden. The illustrations and design were created by TWU graphic design majors Chelsea Flores and Kathryn Kelly under the art direction of Sheli Petersen, professor of Graphic Design and Illustration. Maria Serrano, PhD, of the TWU Division of Biology, provided the Spanish translation.

While the book is written for children ages 6-12, it's also instructive to adults interested in turning some portion of their yard into a pollinator habitat.

"I made a garden in my yard, but I wanted to do it right in the TWU garden," Maier said. "So we followed certain steps. Most of what I read and I knew from the native Plant Society of Texas. The steps are easy to follow."

The book begins with preparing the soil, including the difficult task of eradicating any existing non-native grass, like Bermuda or St. Augustine, and progresses through what to plant and how to maintain the garden.

"I thought, well, these are very simple steps that anyone can do in their lawn, even if they have just a small space," Maier said. "If you plant only six milkweeds and a few nectar plants, they will have a pollinator butterfly garden."

Not only does it result in a low-maintenance garden, it provides an essential environmental boost.

"This is very important for many reasons, mostly because pollinators are so, so important, especially from the point of view of providing food by pollinating crops. They practically provide us with food. Nowadays, pollinator populations are going down because of habitat fragmentation, pesticides and climate change. So every bit of garden that we make enriches or enlarges their own habitat. In urban areas, their habitat is fragmented with concrete, buildings, streets, highways and so on. The benefits are food, the aesthetic and the appeal of greenery and flowers and butterflies and bumblebees. I really think we kind of isolate ourselves from nature, especially in urban areas. And it's good to have these patches of natural habitat, a piece of prairie here in Texas, because that's what it is to educate our children and to enjoy it."

The book is accompanied by two educational videos.

"I had two graphic design students working on them last academic year," Petersen said.

The videos can be viewed on the How to Make a Pollinator Garden website.