EPI’s Bob Nixon and Butterfly Garden Featured

The Kalamazoo Nature Center (KNC) featured EPI’s Bob Nixon in their winter print newsletter. “Planting Seeds in the Winter” highlights the work KNC coordinated with Bob, as he helped create a native habitat for butterflies near our Battle Creek headquarters.

In its article, KNC describes how Bob and others here at EPI prepared the land by removing invasive species and non-native vegetation. Native Connections in Three Rivers then provided guidance on the best plants to support butterflies and other pollinators, then the seed mix itself, which was planted in December with KNC’s seed drill.

This tool allows users to cut furrows in mildly frozen soil to plant the seeds at the right depth for germination. Interestingly, winter temperatures don’t damage the native seeds; many of these plants native to Michigan actually need the cold to germinate properly.

Bob, who also volunteers with KNC, recently retired from EPI and told KNC he wanted to leave a legacy of restoration with this butterfly garden for the rest of us at EPI to enjoy.

EPI Vice President Mitch Maurer told KNC, “EPI is thankful to KNC for their support and consultation on this project. This was an incredibly fun project for our employees to engage in together. We put in some hard work together, but we’ll enjoy our beautiful new picnic area and walking path for years to come.”

Butterfly photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash