Biogeography Students Take A Tour of The Gardens at SIUE
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| Biogeography Class Visits The Gardens |
SIUE students Kate Oost and Kent Sassatelli, are employed at The Gardens at SIUE, and were very excited to give their Biogeography classmates a tour. Oost and Sassatelli are very proud of the accomplishments that have been made at the The Gardens, and enlightened their classmates of some of the new features coming this year, and how they have been ridding the property of invasive plants.
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| Invasive Honeysuckles |
Oost, a Geography Major, explained how invasive plants such as the Japanese and Bush Honeysuckles came to America. “These plants were brought over as ornamentals for landscaping.” She continued, “Of course, they had no idea that these plants would spread out the way they did.” Oost added that tulips and daffodils aren’t necessarily harmful, but they are not native to the United States. Tulips are from Central Asia, and Daffodils are from Spain and Portugal. They were brought over from Europe, because they were so popular and easy to grow.
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| Kent Sassatelli with a Sassafras Tree |
Sassatelli hasn't declared his major yet, but has a huge interest in Biogeography and native flora and fauna. As he pointed to Turtle Pond, a feature at The Gardens, he revealed that there are many native turtles in the pond. He also said, “Many people who no longer want to take care of their pet turtles drop them off in the pond, and that’s how invasive species become a problem.”
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| Community Edible Garden |
On a positive note, The Gardens are in the process of creating a Community Edible Garden for the students at SIUE to enjoy, and this spring the gardeners are constructing a Butterfly Garden. There’s also an area called the Shade Stroll where all the plants in that section are native to Illinois.
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| Kate Oost Shows Off "Frank" |
Oost was especially proud of her Franklinia Tree which she planted and is nurturing herself. “These trees are extremely rare and we’re very excited to have one”, said Oost, who’s very protective of her little friend which she endearingly refers to as “Frank”.
It’s difficult to remove the invasive plants from The Gardens, but that doesn’t keep the gardeners from trying. In the meantime, more native plants will be planted which are funded by donors.
Visit their website for upcoming events and to learn how you can help with donations or as a volunteer.