Photo By Lance Cpl. David Brandes | Dawn Reynolds Olson, president of the Quantico Spouses' Garden Club, left, and Alex...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – Volunteers gathered at the strip of land between Biddle Avenue and Nicholas Road near the main side recreation center to work on maintaining and expanding a pollinator garden for Monarch butterflies to celebrate National Public Lands Day on Sept. 23.
The event was organized by Alex Antram, the manager of the Conservation Volunteer Program, and Dawn Reynolds Olson, president of the Quantico Spouses’ Garden Club. Together, they worked to combine the volunteer-based effort of the CVP with the gardening know-how of the QSGC. This event coincided with the National Public Lands Day, one of the largest single-day volunteer events in the country, which is dedicated to preserving and restoring public lands.
“The fourth Saturday of the month is usually the garden work day, from the spring through fall,” said Antram. “National Public Lands Day is something the director of Natural Resources, Walter Christianson, wanted us to do.”
The pollinator garden was made possible through funding from Quantico’s Qualified Recycling Program in the summer of 2023. It has since blossomed and now includes herb gardens and a pumpkin patch. With the consistent efforts of the QSCG and volunteers, the garden has continued to expand and withstand invasive wildlife which would have crept in without their effort.
“Initially they wanted this area to naturalize,” said Olson, sporting her new QSCG President gardening apron. “It won’t naturalize back to what it was if you don’t help it. If you’re trying to put natives back and get the invasive out, you have to help it along.”
Invasive species are species not originally from the geographical area they inhabit and spread in a non-native environment because they no longer have their usual ecosystem to keep them in check. Species outside of the invasive species' normal environment are not adapted to compete with them, so they are easily overtaken.
Volunteers worked throughout the day on upkeep such as weed pulling, trimming and mowing. To effectively and naturally kill off areas overtaken by invasive species, they layered cardboard with mulch and dirt on top to block out the sunlight and oxygen. Once the old plants die off, the land can be used to plant native species.
“I like being outside,” said Diane Huxtable, a volunteer who’s new to Quantico. “I like seeing native plants, and seeing the woods and the grounds around here cared for, especially to balance out some of the buildings on base where there’s a little less flora and fauna.”
“Any excuse to come outdoors is always good,” said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Hans Carnice, father of two Scouts. “To get to work with your hands in the community, there’s a lot of goodness to that. And to be able to do it alongside our kids and alongside the troop, I think is really special.”
Despite a cloudy day and some light rain, Diane and the others working were upbeat and happy to do their part for their community. Quantico’s Scout Troop 0176 came out, giving the young Scouts the opportunity to experience the fulfillment of volunteering. It was also an educational opportunity as they learned that planting milkweed seed helps migrating Monarch butterflies lay their eggs and is a sole food source for their larvae. Monarch Butterflies are able to sense where there is milkweed and return when they migrate.
“The Monarch, in its DNA, has a built in GPS to find these places that it’s been to, and it passes it down to their offspring,” Olson said, in awe of the creature’s natural ability.
Monarch Butterfly populations have been in significant decline since the 1990’s due to the use of herbicides, pesticides, climate change, and other causes. In particular, herbicides have reduced their milkweed habitat. Pollinator gardens like the one Antram has created are part of a broad effort to reverse these trends.
“Research has shown that even restoring little areas and creating these micro-habitats for Monarchs and other pollinators are really helpful for ecosystem health and stability, which helps to mitigate, ultimately, climate change.”
The garden includes annual plants from each season so pollinators have a consistent source to come back to throughout the year. This benefits another important pollinator whose numbers have been in decline: honeybees.
Olson is not only the president of the QSGC but also a master gardener and has played a pivotal role in insuring the pollinator garden is maintained and expanded.
“I had a theory, I’d been taught, but then when you’re out in the wild, you’re testing all of these skills that you have. And then when they work, you’re like ‘Oh, it worked!’.”
The Gardening Club, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, provides an outlet for gardeners whose green thumbs would otherwise be kept at bay due to restrictions to on base housing.
“Something really cool about the pollinator garden is that Dawn and the Garden Club, and the CVP wants it to be a teaching source and a model so the Quantico community can say ‘Oh, I can do this in the small space that I have!’”, said Antram, grinning at the prospect. “A dream eventually is to have interpretive signs to explain to people what the garden is and why it’s important.”
The pollinator garden was a true community project. The Facility Maintenance section and Forestry Section of Natural Recourses and Environmental Affairs contributed mulch deliveries, the Quantico Fire Department helped watering new plants, and interns with the Fish and Wildlife section started taking pollinator surveys and helped in the garden.
Antram and Olson say that they will continue with their mission of collecting native milkweed to plant around base in the future, and, as always, upkeep of the pollinator garden. Their partnership has brought the garden a long way and after spending a long time figuring out how to do it, they say it is time to bring in more hands.
“Remember Field of Dreams, the movie, when he says, ‘If you build it, they will come’?” said Olson. “If you grow the pollinator garden they will come. Not just people, but pollinators!”
If you want to learn more about conservation volunteer opportunities on base, contact Alex Antram: aantram@vt.edu.
| Date Taken: | 10.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 10.06.2025 09:51 |
| Story ID: | 549960 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, If you build it, they will come: Quantico’s pollinator garden provides pit stop for migrating Monarchs, by LCpl David Brandes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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