Alan Clinton and a group of hard-working scouts from Troop 428 in Delaware braved the heat over three days in July to help overhaul three butterfly garden beds at Green Lawn Cemetery, which were originally constructed and planted in 1996. The project was a collaborative effort between Columbus Audubon, Green Lawn Cemetery and Boy Scouts from Troop 428. Alan brought the project to fruition while he and the Scouts logged in over 100 person hours working on the gardens as part of his Eagle Scout requirements. Tom Sheley and Jackie Bain were Columbus Audubon advisors for the project.
The area was prepped with removal of several truckloads of invasive honeysuckle to improve light and air circulation around the beds. The largest bed still had a very good base of native plants and just needed cleaning out along with invasive plant removal. Another bed was thinned and replanted with some native perennials and grasses to fill out the holes. The third bed was completely taken over by annuals, poison ivy and Japanese Honeysuckle and needed to be stripped and replanted. In all, the Scouts planted over 225 native perennials and grasses, and laid down a thin layer of organic mulch to help retard the growth of annuals.
This is an ongoing effort which will require maintenance. Columbus Audubon plans to sponsor a volunteer work day once or twice a year to keep up with the weeding and thinning of these beds.
The gardens are open for viewing during Green Lawn Cemetery hours of operation. They are located about 75 yards west of the main office building and parking lot, just inside the cemetery entrance off Greenlawn Avenue.