Davey Tree Flipbooks

4 | July/August 2015 B utterflies could start crowding air space reserved for helicopters and jets now that a mostly bare patch of earth at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville in Florida has been transformed into an oasis where pollinators can find food and habitat. Tom Freeman, account manager at Davey's Jacksonville CLS territory, approached Diana Heintz, Balfour Beatty's community manager for NAS Jacksonville, early in the year. Freeman proposed a donation from Davey of the instal- lation of a butterfly garden to the community in celebration of April's two environmental holidays, Earth Day and Arbor Day. Freeman says the landscape bed sat mostly empty with just mulch and a few assorted plants, yet the bed stands in a high-traffic area of the base's residential neighborhood in what's known as Mulberry Grove, where many of the naval base's residents run or walk their dogs. "It was pretty unattractive and in a very focal area," Freeman says. "This is one of the more scenic areas on the base, so there are a lot of joggers and walkers constantly passing by. What better way to enhance it than to install some flowering, perennial plants and create a butterfly garden?" NAS Jacksonville is located on a point of land that juts into the St. John's River in northeast Florida. Balfour Beatty manages 302 residences that are home to families of enlisted, junior officers and officers of the base. Heintz says the garden is situated in a common area with swinging benches where residents can pause for a break from duties to enjoy the outdoors. "We had a public meeting about the garden proposal, and before the meeting we had a neighborhood huddle to let them know what Davey was proposing," she says. "The residents were excited about it." The bed, about 1,000 square feet and almost entirely flat, made for a simple design. Two of Freeman's employees developed the concept and design, which included a fringetree, daylilies, lavender, purple coneflower, purple lantana and dozens of other flowering plants. Freeman coordinated with local businesses, who donated time and materials to the installa- tion. Gore's Nursery in Jacksonville sold all the plants, which were 1-gallon material, to Davey. Davey prepped the site on the day between Earth Day and Arbor Day, so residents could help with the planting in the evening. About 20 residents and children of the base helped plant the new flowers, grasses and flowering bushes. "It was a blast," Freeman says. "Literally upon setting the plants out and getting ready All a Flutter for Earth Day to plant we had butterflies coming by while they were still in the pots. The kids jumped right in and helped with the plantings, and afterwards they grabbed the garden hose and watered all the new plants in. We haven't lost a single plant." Davey is awaiting a permit from the Navy to dig trenches for installing the irrigation. Until then, Heintz says a nearby resident volunteered to water the plants. "This lady's really got a green thumb and she is very proactive down at her home, so she's going to be a real asset for that area," Heintz says. About 20 residents took part in the planting. Davey donated the project at no cost to Balfour Beatty, the base's residential property manager. Within a day of the installation, the new garden had already proven itself a haven for pollinators by immediately attracting butterflies. The installation of the new butterfly garden, which is about 1,000 square feet, took less than an hour.

• Cover