By Jay Keck, SCWF Industry Habitat Manager

Thanks to grant funding from the Richland County Conservation Commission (RCCC), SCWF staff worked with Richland Library Ballentine staff and community volunteers to create native wildflower pollinator gardens in the “grass island” of their parking lot. The gardens are already attracting pollinators as well as frogs, toads, and lizards, that have been seen foraging around the flowers and finding shelter in the vegetation and mulch.

Ballentine library is a popular year-round destination and is visited by hundreds of thousands of residents each year. Library staff, including Branch Manager Kelly Jones, have been highly supportive of conservation projects on their property. Last year, thanks to another RCCC grant, SCWF staff installed a CollidEscape window film that prevents bird strikes and is transparent from indoors. This year’s pollinator garden project will provide much needed food, in the form of insects, for many of the same birds that are being protected on the library’s property!

This project went smoothly thanks to the volunteers who helped install three split-rail fence gardens at the front of the library within the island separating the two parking areas. Each garden contains native plants that will flower during the spring, summer, and early fall months, which will help pollinators throughout the year. Interpretive nature signs were installed next to each garden to educate the thousands of visitors exploring the property. The gardens will play an active role in supporting wildlife and educating local citizens on how to garden for wildlife, fulfilling two missions of the SC Wildlife Federation: conservation and education! If you haven’t seen the gardens yet, please visit Ballentine Library to see what you can find amongst the flowers!