Garden Elementary Students Learn About Native Plants with Help from CHNEP

«Photo: Firebush is a native shrub that provides nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds, and berries for birds.

Fifth-graders at Garden Elementary planted coral honeysuckle, twinflower and beautyberry and other plants in the Florida native plant garden on the school grounds.

As part of activities March 7, they created a weed barrier using newspaper, mulch and plants as well as a pathway with layers of newspaper, landscape fabric and pine bark.

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program has provided public outreach grant money for the past three years for the garden project. The goal of the program is to develop awareness, concern and knowledge about wildlife conservation and preservation, concentrating on native animals and plants and their survival in the Florida environment.

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