A note about the Creation of the Gettysburg College Pollinator Garden
by Grace Verbrugge (Gettysburg College ’22)
On October 13th 2020, I went to the Painted Turtle Farm as part of a class trip for ES 121. While there, I asked what the farm had in place in terms of plants to support pollinators. They had a small patch of milkweed, only about 3 plants, all withered and diseased. As someone who has spent her entire life raising monarch butterflies and trying to help conserve the species, I saw an opportunity. My idea was to plant a large patch of milkweed alongside the garden, which I did not anticipate requiring too much work. I started by reaching out to people I thought might be able to help.
My small seed of an idea quickly germinated and became a larger project than I anticipated. Soon, with the help of a group of amazing individuals from all different parts of the College, we had a plan to transform a bare plot of campus land into a native pollinator garden with a bench in the center dedicated to my grandfather, Bill McEwan (’65) who passed away in 2019. With the help of the biology department, I coordinated a seed drive resulting in donations from monarch-rearers all over the nation, with dozens of people sending seeds and money. Through the alumni board and development office, we organized a fundraiser for the bench and garden upkeep. The seeds were left to germinate over the winter in the greenhouse under the care of Dr. Ferster and her students, and the following spring we were able to begin planting.
We coordinated several volunteer days, gathering people from the campus community to help bring the garden to life. It was amazing to watch the land transform. Over the summer, Dr. Ferster and her X-Sig students continued to care for and study the garden, and upon my return in the fall, I was amazed by the vibrant color and sheer magnificence of the garden in full bloom. Throughout the year, we continued to assess ways to help the garden grow and thrive, bringing new people into the project and working through new ideas.
Working on this passion project with the help of so many phenomenal people, most of whom I did not know before, helped me better understand two things Bill always told me. First, he often paraphrased a William Butler Yeats quote, saying there is no such thing as a stranger, only a friend I’ve yet to meet.” Because of this project, I made new connections I will cherish forever. Everyone involved was so helpful, motivated, and kind, graciously contributing what they could and excitedly learning what they didn’t know. I am grateful for those relationships.
Before he died, Bill came to visit me in Gettysburg as a first year. He told me “you are the final piece of my Gettysburg legacy – now you have to decide what your legacy will be.” This garden, this collaboration that so perfectly exemplifies the best of what Gettysburg College’s community has to offer, is the part of my legacy of which I am most proud. However, I do not see this legacy as being a tribute to my own achievements – I see this legacy as one possible only because of other people. Without the faculty, staff, administrators, students, and external friends who helped me develop my idea, the garden would not exist.
While I hope that this garden will continue to strengthen the local pollinator population, help the crops at the Painted Turtle Farm thrive, provide a source of education and research for biology and environmental science students, and a place of peace and relaxation for all members of the community, more than anything, I hope this project inspires others to create their own legacy. I want to encourage all members of our community to find that which you are passionate about and engage those around you to create something beautiful from it. May we all leave our own legacies of joy, growth, change, and love. May this garden inspire other ideas.
I’d like to thank Dr. Betty Ferster of the biology department, Jeff Rioux of the Center for Public Service, Jim Biesecker and Eric Richardson in facilities, Nancy Irvine in development, and Dave Radin from the alumni board for their dedication to this project. Without their help and the contributions of many others, none of this would exist.