Butterflies, bees and blooms

Mariianne Mays Wiebe

If you’ve wandered by the UMSU University Centre patios lately, you’ve surely noticed the sights and sweet scents of swaying tall grasses and colourful prairie wildflowers.

To increase biodiversity on campus and reflect the environmental history of the lands where we are located, UM has begun to integrate native grass, shrub and tree species into various areas of the campus that have typically been dominated by conventional turf and ornamental vegetation.

The Campus Landscape Series allows the community to learn more about the rich and ecologically important campus green spaces at UM. These educational lunchtime tours were coordinated Heather Stark, UM Sustainability Projects Coordinator, and Vanessa Vermeulen, Landscape Planner, Campus Planning Office.

Stark notes that many areas of the university grounds used to be planted with annuals in late spring and then torn out in the fall, with the beds left bare until the following spring.

Prairie tallgrass roots act like a sponge, helping to retain soil moisture. Fragrant Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), which blooms pink in July, is a Monarch caterpillar host and also provides nectar for butterflies.

The natural advantage

Annuals sometimes have a perceived advantage, says Stark, because they are showier, with lots of blooms.

“But in practice [they] are not as beneficial to biodiversity and can be even more costly and labour intensive for grounds personnel to maintain throughout the summer,” she says.

Native vegetation, on the other hand, has a natural advantage. It’s more weather-proof because it’s adapted to local climate and soil conditions. It also contributes to a healthy ecosystem and supports climate health while respecting the natural history of the land.

Prairie native plants are more sustainable, since they typically need less watering and fertilizing.

Grasses in low, wide concrete planter in front of concrete building.

Amidst tall grasses, a QR code on a sign that says "Biodiversity in Action."

Elegant prairie grasses in in low concrete planter; a "Biodiversity in Action" QR code takes viewers to a website to discover names of plants.

Swaying green grasses and tiny white bunches of flowers.

Prairie grasses and fragrant yarrow are some of the native perennials in the concrete planters on the UMSU University Centre patio.

Learn more

Check out the popular Campus Landscape Series, which offers educational lunchtime tours to learn more about the rich and ecologically important campus green spaces at UM.

Learn more about UM’s biodiversity and sustainability efforts, which includes several native revegetation sites on campus.

Wander over: Patio blooms and grasses

The planter boxes on UMSU University Centre patio, says UM Groundskeeper Christine Labossiere, have a mixture of native prairie grasses and flowering wildflowers.

Besides offering amazing aromas and vibrant blooms dotted amongst swaying tall grasses, the mixture helps to build and sustain the local ecosystem. They host the insects and seeds that local and migrating birds need to survive.

Grasses and flowers like wild bergamot and purple prairie clover enhance natural habitat and feed pollinators like bees and butterflies; beneficial insects also rely on native flowers for food.

The patio planters, like many other areas at Fort Garry campus that have been replanted with prairie-native species, were designed and planted through the combined efforts of the Campus Planning Office, the Sustainability Office and Operations and Maintenance staff. The campus revegetation fulfills the UM priorities of sustainability and Reconciliation outlined in MomentUM, UM’s strategic plan, as well as commitments set out in the land pillar of the UM Climate Action Plan.

Wildflower species planted on the patio include: Giant hyssop, native swamp milkweed, white prairie clover, purple prairie clover, joe pye, false sunflower, bee balm (wild bergamot), smooth aster, new England aster, culver’s root and golden alexander.

Read on for full lists of plants on the UMSU University Centre Patio and some other Fort Garry campus sites to visit.

Thank you to UM Groundskeeper Christine Labossiere, Jo-Anne Joyce, retired UM plant technician, Vanessa Vermeulen, Landscape Planner, Campus Planning Office and Sustainability Projects Coordinator Heather Stark for informing this piece.

Christine Labossiere, UM Groundskeeper, explains the advantages of native perennials.

People gather beside a large shrub in a planter.

People gather for the lunchtime Campus landscape series session in July on perennials.

Garden variety

Nature, wonder, wellness: This series draws on perspectives of UM researchers and experts. The observations, tips and takeaways focus on our environment and the abundant plant life that surrounds us.

UMSU University Centre Patio native wildflowers and grasses with descriptions

Green Needlegrass (Stipa virdula)
Western Wheatgrass (Elymus smithii)
Slender Wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus)
June grass (Koeleria macrantha)
Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia caepitosa)
Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius)
Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides)

Purple flowers in foreground with grasses and light spikey flowers in background.

Bee balm (wild bergamot) with spikey giant hyssop in background.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia): purple in July, (1’-3’tall) butterfly nectar and bird seed.
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae): purple in Aug-Sept (2’-3’tall) a top 10 nectar plant for butterflies, reseeds easily.
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida): white in July (1’5”) butterfly nectar and bird seed.
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea): purple in July (1’5”) butterfly nectar and bird seed.
Giant Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): purple in July-Aug (2’-3’) long blooming, anise scented blooms, gold, finches eat the seed, used for tea and drying.
Bee Balm/Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa): pink in July (2’-3’) large showy flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds, beautifully aromatic.
False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides scabra): yellow in July-Aug, (2-4’) easy to grow, long blooming, reseeds, good cut flower.
Narrowleaf Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani): yellow in August large bushy plant with many flowers, (3’-5’), Goldfinches love to eat this seed, reseeds, and host for Silvery Checkerspot.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): pink in July, profuse and fragrant, Monarch caterpillar host and nectar for butterflies (2’-4’).
Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve): Mauve in Aug.-Sept, (2-4’), abundant, late purple flowers contrast the yellows and rust colours of fall, food for Pearly Crescent butterflies, reseeds easily.
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea): yellow in June, host for swallowtail butterfly caterpillar, nectar for butterflies, lovely textured seed heads (2’).
Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum): Beautiful white spikes in July, great texture, rare plant (3’-4’)
Joe Pye (Eupatorium maculatum): pink fluffy flowers in August, tall (up to 5’), a top 10 nectar plant, attracts many butterflies. This plant will stand out because of its height.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium):Clusters of fragrant, tiny, white, daisy-like flowers June to August attract butterflies and beneficial insects, delicate fern-like leaves (2’), spreading, drought-tolerant, deer-resistant.

Boilerplate: sustainability

We pursue sustainability in its many forms—societal, cultural, economic, environmental. Building a sustainable future is among the commitments you’ll find in MomentUM: Leading change together, the University of Manitoba’s 2024–2029 strategic plan.