Jaeson Clayborn
Major Advisor: Dr. Suzanne Koptur
Advisor: Dr. George O’Brien
Backyard Biodiversity: Invertebrate Conservation in Urban Areas
Location:
Open House Ministries
Brief Project Description:
Biodiversity is defined as the number of different organisms in an ecosystem. Biodiversity can be used as a
tool to quantify ecosystem health. Urbanization has altered natural ecosystems to benefit humans often with
deleterious consequences on wildlife. Habitat loss through urbanization is a major factor contributing to biodiversity
declines. Organisms perform many services within the ecosystem and their losses can negatively impact the whole
system, collectively. Despite a dismal future for some organisms, humans through proactive choices can reverse the
trend of habitat loss, reduced biodiversity, and pollution.
The Backyard Biodiversity Project will involve FIU students, Pre-service teachers, FIU Professors, FIU
Insect Conservation Club members, volunteers and students at Open House Ministries in designing and constructing
a butterfly garden for common and rare butterflies. Open House Ministries in the Homestead/Florida City area
promotes educational, technical, and spiritual development with emphasis on children and youth programs. They are
a “common ground” place in a still segregated community. The Backyard Biodiversity Project will promote
environmental stewardship through interactive indoor and outdoor activities based on butterflies through habitat
restoration. Along with constructing a large butterfly garden, the FIU community will engage the Open House
Ministries community with book reading for younger students, arts and crafts promoting butterfly conservation, and
the grand finale in recognition of the hard work, the release of live ladybirds and caterpillars into the newly
constructed garden. The first set of activities will occur during the last week of September into the first week of
October (9/23/13 – 10/2/13). Monthly visits to Open House Ministries will continue with several members from the
FIU Insect Conservation Club after the initial project is completed.
Project Motivation:
Butterfly gardening is a relatively low-cost project with everlasting effects on students. Butterfly gardens
require weeding and maintenance, which can be carried out by students, providing them with opportunities to get
up-close and dirty as they explore their garden. Butterflies, in general, are alluring and can be used as flagship
species to protect other organisms. Habitat loss is a significant factor for many species declines and butterfly
gardening provides a model for habitat restoration, empowering students to become part of the solution. An
established garden is great for scientific inquiry and aesthetically pleasing. As conservation biologists, it is
imperative that we engage and encourage teachers and other role models to use butterfly gardens, biodiversity, and
ecosystem conservation as tools in their classroom, after-care center, or residence. In elementary school, the Science
Education Standards for Life Sciences include: 1) Characteristics of organisms, 2) Life cycles of organisms, and 3)
Organisms and the environment. Students can develop an understanding of the three concepts outside of school
through butterfly gardening at Open House Ministries, which also happens to be located near unique ecosystems.
Open House Ministries began as disaster relief after Hurricane Andrew where Homestead and Florida City
suffered substantially. Currently, the community still struggles with high poverty. In Homestead, 43% of the
children under the age of 18 live below the poverty level, high school graduation rates are around 50%, and despite a
diverse community, the area is still segregated. As a Christian community center, they provide positive and
proactive opportunities for youth to develop into future leaders. I, personally, had the fortunate opportunity to work
with their youth and staff during a trip out to Everglades National Park through the Tropical Audubon Society. For
most students, it was their first time visiting Everglades National Park and they were amazed to see the wildlife.
Tourists visiting south Florida from other countries are more likely to visit Everglades National Park than many
residents in Homestead and Florida City. Everglades National Park is considered one of the seven natural wonders
in the United States.
Open House Ministries is located 2.7 miles from Navy Wells Preserve and 6 miles from Everglades
National Park, both natural areas are refugia for rare, endemic, and imperiled organisms which include the Atala
butterfly, Bartram’s Scrub Hairstreak, and Florida Leafwing. All three species of butterflies are listed as Species of
Special Concern and have been listed as candidates for protection under the Endangered Species Act. What makes
this project feasible is the proximity of Open House Ministries to the natural areas that harbor the imperiled
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butterflies. Many butterflies are host specific to certain plants that provide a suitable food source for their
caterpillars. Knowledge of host plants can enable us to attract specific butterflies to new sites. Consequently, this
does not apply to every butterfly because some need special requirements such as fire for habitat rejuvenation or
expensive host plants (Ex. Atala butterflies host plants, coontie). Habitat enhancement knowledge through
restoration in one’s backyard can be transferred throughout the community and generate stepping stones for
organisms creating a corridor from protected, natural areas to suburban and urban communities. Specifically for
butterflies and many pollinators, planting the right plants, providing refuges, and limiting pesticides can encourage
wildlife back into areas previously unsuitable.
Butterflies are charismatic animals that can encourage people to restore their green space. Outdoor inquiry
through butterfly gardening, near natural areas like Navy Wells Preserve and Everglades National Park, promotes
information obtained from instructional books and TV programs to real life situations. Habitat loss and biodiversity
decline is not specific to south Florida, but is a global issue as many species are facing extinction. My project
focuses on several elements of science education outside of school: 1) future teachers, 2) students, and 3) people
who care about protecting native wildlife. Without community involvement, the use of butterfly gardens as a
learning tool for environmental stewardship for local biodiversity becomes futile.
Key messages from the overall experience: Protect – Enhance – Provide – If you build it, they will come
The following plants will be planted at Open House Ministries:
Host Plant
Wild Lime (x2)
Coontie (x5)
Senna mexicana (x4)
Milkweed (x10)
Passionvine (x2)
Rue (x5)
Pineland Croton (x6)
Mexican Alvaradoa (x1)
Blackbead (x1)
Trumpet Flower (x10)
Fiddlewood (x2)
Total Plants = 48
Butterfly species that depend on the plant
Giant Swallowtail
Atala
Orange-Barred and Cloudless Sulphur
Monarch, Queen, and Soldier
Zebra Longwing, Gulf Fritillary, and Julia
Giant and Black Swallowtail
Bartram’s Scrub Hairstreak and Florida Leafwing
Dina Yellow
Large Orange Sulphur
Oleander Moth
Fiddlewood Leafroller Moth
Total Species = 18
What sets your project apart from others? How does it fulfill an identified need for a local community while
also addressing a global issue?
The Backyard Biodiversity Project can be used as a template (example) for anyone to engage others in
promoting habitat restoration for butterflies at a community center, school, or place of residence. Technology has
enhanced humans to be more informed and aware globally; unfortunately, technology has also caused humans to
become lazier and disconnected with the natural environment. A paradigm shift is essential to protect imperiled
organisms from extinction and other organisms from becoming imperiled. Humans must be creative and not ask,
“How can I exploit this ecosystem?”, but instead view themselves as one of many components connected within the
ecosystem. This project allows students, young and old, to be proactive through the construction of butterfly gardens
using native plants and removing exotic plants. The big question is, “Can insect conservation be applied in urban
areas by children influencing their parents and neighbors?” Open House Ministries is a great candidate site to
provide insight towards that question.
Urbanization has encroached on many natural ecosystems in south Florida with detrimental effects on some
biota. Locally, students can help bring back extirpated populations of organisms by building butterfly gardens and
learning about the plant and animal community in their own backyard. This local issue (habitat loss) is also a global
issue as ecosystems are changing often with detrimental results. For example, butterflies provide an important
ecosystem service as pollinators. The loss of butterflies from an ecosystem, therefore, may have far reaching effects
on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Habitat restoration can help alleviate biodiversity decline; however,
humans have to be informed and made aware of what is happening throughout the world. Empowering students with
local conservation efforts through urban, habitat restoration is a stepping stone towards a paradigm shift of people as
a part of the ecosystem through sustainable practices.
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Tentative Schedule
3:15-4:00pm
4:05-4:45pm
4:45-5:15pm
Monday (8/23)
K-2 (Intro & Games)
Pre-test
3-5 (Intro & Games)
Pre-test
Clean-Up
Tuesday (9/24)
Arts & Crafts
Older kids (Planting)
Arts & Crafts
Older kids (Planting)
Clean-Up
Wednesday (9/25)
Planting
Planting
Clean-Up
Wednesday (10/2)
Wrap-Up and
Insect Release
Wrap-Up and
Insect Release
Clean-Up
September 23rd, 2103 (Monday)
Hook – Show and Tell Activity (10 mins)
Butterfly host plants (x3) will be placed on tables. Students will make observations without touching the plants. The
host plants will contain butterfly eggs and caterpillars.
Introduction on the purpose of butterfly gardens, habitat restoration, and pollination (15 mins)
Objective: Inform students that construction of a butterfly garden is as simple as planting the right host plants; if you
plant the right plant, butterflies will come. Finally, many of our food crops depend on pollination by various insects,
which also benefit from butterfly gardens
See Backyard Biodiversity PowerPoint attachment
Pin the butterfly on the old and current ranges (15-20 mins)
Objective: One student at a time is blindfolded and attempts to locate the right habitat on the map; the audience
guides the blindfolded student by using different instruments as directional commands
Supplies needed
Four Blindfolds
Five or Six Butterfly Magnets (Can use Butterfly Pins as a substitute)
Map of Schaus Swallowtail Historic and Current Range (see last page)
Round 1: Student attempts to locate habitat by listening to instruments (map is set up after student is blindfolded)
Round 2: Student attempts to locate habitat by listening to instruments (map already set up)
Round 3: Student attempts to locate habitat by listening to instruments
September 24th, 2013 (Tuesday)
Book reading/Arts & Crafts (40-45 mins)
Objective: Read the Hungry Caterpillar (Book) and perform the “Butterfly Origami” activity
Younger students will remain inside and work with the art instructor while older students (6 th grade and up) will
begin planting larger plants and prepare additional holes for the following day.
September 25th, 2013 (Wednesday)
Planting Day (2 hrs)
Objective: Attempt to plant all plants at Open House Ministries
Older students will assist younger students when working in the garden. Students will be divided into the hole team
(responsible for digging holes), dirt team (responsible for collecting and distributing dirt into the holes), plant team
(responsible for planting the plant), and mulch team (responsible for adding mulching to the garden). Work will
continue until all plants are planted around Open House Ministries or time runs out. Older volunteers will prop
plants and vine to bamboo poles or trees if needed.
Additional activities if possible
Observe and make note of wildlife already present in the garden
October 2nd, 2013 (Wednesday)
Wrap-Up and Insect Release Party (45 mins)
Objective: Finish planting all plants, pulling weeds, and mulching. Release beneficial insects into the butterfly
garden.
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Students will finish prepping the garden to make it aesthetically alluring to guests. Finally, the students will release
live insects into the garden and receive a small host plant or seed to take home.
What I will need (The Important Stuff)
1. Someone to take the lead for book reading and arts & crafts (Very Important)
2. Two additional people to help manage the students when working on the garden
3. Fruit snacks (for pollination demo), toy instruments (4 different types) from Party City, and tools for
digging
4. The book titled The Very Hungry Caterpillar
5. Caterpillars, ladybirds, and any other cool insects for release into the garden
6. Host plants to give away (already have the plants)
7. Spare Senna mexicana???
Map for pin the butterfly on the old and current ranges
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