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Thanks to a collaborative effort between UNT students, faculty, and the UNT Facilities Grounds crew, a plot on the south side of the UNT chemistry building is buzzing with activity. UNT Grounds Supervisor, Clay Briggs, selected the site because very little plants were surviving in the area. The area was seeded with Texas native wildflowers and ever since the first blooms emerged in late spring, the UNT community has been able to appreciate the colorful plants and wildlife activity the plot has attracted.  
      
Representatives from two student-led organizations, UNT Bee Campus Committee and UNT Society for Ecological Restoration, have been documenting insects that have been spotted in the wildflowers using iNaturalist, with special attention to native Texas pollinators. So far, the students have observed a grand total of fifty-one insect types, including fourteen types of native bees and seventeen types of butterflies and moths.  
      
“In just this small landscaping bed near the Chemistry building, twenty-two species of plants have already provided habitat for at least sixty animal species,” said Dr. Jaime Baxter-Slye, Clinical Assistant Professor for Ecology Education at UNT and faculty advisor for the student orgs. Among the native plants are Lemon Beebalm (Monarda citriodora), Common Sunflower (Helianthus annuus), Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchella), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and Awnless Bushsunflower (Simsia calva), all found in the wildflower mix that Clay used. 
      
“The mix we went with is called ‘Native Trail Mix,’ which is a blend of native wildflowers and grasses,” said UNT Grounds Supervisor Clay Briggs. “Oddly enough, we didn’t get much of any grass germination, but the flowers certainly picked up the slack.” 
      
Clay’s vision and the success of the wildflower patch led UNT ecology major Ethan Phillips to install native bee boxes in the location, which is a We Mean Green Fund initiative. 
      
UNT student and Bee Campus Committee Chair Brie Poe said they are especially excited about an uncommon species of native bee consistently observed in the patch earlier this summer. 
      
“The California Digger Bee (Anthophora californica) has only 129 observations documented on iNaturalist in the broader DFW area, with only 15 documented in Denton County, ” they said. “I think it is very notable that the species has only been observed in this patch on campus, considering how visually striking the species is. Not only have we observed a large variety of taxa visiting the patch, but we have also observed species that are not common in the area (though still native to Texas)!”  
      
“Native bees in particular suffer population declines in urban areas,” said Dr. Jaime Baxter-Slye. “By staying true to our We Mean Green philosophy, the UNT Grounds crew is helping us provide islands of native Texas habitat in a sea of urban campus development. A bonus is that these native plants survive the Texas droughts and extreme freezes that sometimes occur in the area.”  
      
“On a personal note, this plot has been a huge joy for me to visit throughout the year and sparked my deeper interest in artistic wildlife photography,” said Brie, who took the photos of the plot shared to the UNT College of Science social accounts.  
      
The UNT Bee Campus Committee is composed of students, staff, and faculty. They provide habitats for pollinators and educate the community about the importance of pollinators in our everyday lives. These commitments have earned UNT the honor of being named the first Bee Campus USA institution in Texas and the 12th in the nation. UNT Bee Campus Committee would like to thank the UNT Grounds crew for helping add native Texas plants into the UNT landscaping regimes.

Go Mean Green!