Judges Review Designs for Butterfly Garden at Rambo Park in Trappe

Perkiomen Valley Middle School students have brought Rambo Park another step closer to being a butterfly haven.

Trappe Borough Mayor Connie Peck, Holly Harper of the Natural Lands Trust and Ben LePage of PECO served as judges Friday at Borough Hall as they selected a winner from the eight submissions to the PECO Green Region Design Competition.

The student competition is a requirement from the PECO Open Space Grant Program, according to a document on the competition. This project is being funded, in part, with money from PECO Green Region Open Space.

Perkiomen Valley Middle School West environmental science teacher Danielle Patterson and Ursinus College environmental science professor Patrick Hurley worked together to have six Ursinus students mentor the groups of three to five middle school students. Groups completed six of the designs; two designs were from individual students.

The following submission criteria comes from a list distributed to the students:

• Plant diversity—Use a variety of native, perennial plants.

• Plan view—Provide a strategic placement of plants.

• Plant characteristics—Consider plant shade/sun tolerance.

• Overall design—How will the color scheme look?

• Functionality—What butterflies will be attracted? How will plant placements be complementary of each other? Butterflies need two different kinds of plants for hosting and feeding, according to LePage.

• Creativity

•Narrative—Briefly describe plant characteristics and what butterfly species will be attracted to the site.

The potential ease or difficulty of implementing the designs was also a consideration, according to Peck.

Borough Council President and project coordinator Fred Schuetz took Peck, Harper and LePage to Rambo Park before they reviewed the designs as a group.

Schuetz gave Harper and LePage a brief history of the park and told them about the changes to the landscape throughout the decades. The group chiefly looked at the garden’s future site, which is around the bullfrog pond and stream.

After the trip, the trio of judges discussed their favorites, while admiring the students’ work.

“It was exciting to see the kids really got into it, and they researched and came up with creative and very practical solutions, as well,” Harper said.

LePage agreed. “The kids put a lot of effort into this. There’s a lot of creativity; they think outside the box. It’s nice to see wetlands and ecological concepts that are being taught and introduced in schools, and I hope that will continue down into the elementary level,” he said. “It’s the next generation. They’re the ones who are going to be receiving this, so this is great.”

“Wanting to give everybody an award for their effort in some manner” was the toughest part of the decision for Harper.

The feeling was shared among the judges.

“This is really hard!” Peck said, starting to laugh as she surveyed the designs.

The judges managed to select first-, second- and third-place winners, as well as devise honorary titles for the other entrants. While the first-place winner is the selected design for the butterfly garden, elements from the other proposals may be included, Peck said.

The winners will be recognized at the April 5 Trappe Borough Council meeting. The students will travel to the park April 19 to do some on-site work for the garden.