The Hawkmoths is our Middle School garden club!
We make and conserve habitat for butterflies and pollinators, learn about native plants and gardening techniques, and actively beautify our school grounds. Come join us to learn about nature and have a great time being out in it!
News Flash!
Our new Location!
During Fall 2014, we got the exciting news that we would be uprooting ourselves and changing locations! Now we are directly next to Landberg Hall, on a hill that has begun to be terraced and built up with raised beds. During the fall season we gently moved as many plants as possible (with much help from Mr. Feeney and the guys!) and gave El Campo de las Mariposas back to the school.
With the help and generosity of Mr. Groves, Colin and Mike and Ozzie built us some gorgeous new planting boxes, and hopefully we'll be able to make the whole hill useful and beautiful in the seasons to come.
Exciting Ideas
Over the last couple of seasons, a few Hawkmoths have asked if we could add a vegetable section to our garden. Now that we're in a new location, with raised beds that get 4+ hours of sun a day, we may be able to work that out! Stay tuned!
I've been looking into the idea of building a small DIY greenhouse so we can grow our own seedlings right on site! If you know how, or have materials, let me know!
Would anyone want to choose a day to visit the Butterfly Place in Westford? It's only 5 miles or less away from school!
If you have an idea, use the contact page to email us so we can get things going!
About Us
The Hawkmoths meet on Wednesdays, both Full (3-4pm) and Early Release (12:30-2:30pm) during the Fall and Spring seasons.
Our activities most days include planting flowers, watering, weeding, and socializing. Our main focus is cultivating a butterfly/moth habitat garden, with everything in it being either food for adult butterflies/moths (nectar flowers) or host plants for caterpillars.
On Early Release days, we start out by eating lunch and then gardening, and on Full days we just drink water and the kids can snack as they go. When it rains we go indoors for either seed planting, relevant videos or planning. Whether you can join us during the meetings, or just drop off water bottles or snacks, we avidly welcome parent participation whenever available!
We do encounter quite a few bees, insects, and other creepy crawlies,( and a lot of dirt!) but even the cleanest and most squeamish of Hawkmoths find things to do that interest them! There's a job or a plant or an area of expertise for every student.
We were previously responsible for a 900 sqft butterfly habitat garden, that the first group of Hawkmoths named El Campo de las Mariposas. It was located directly across the parking lot from the 5/6 Landberg Hall building, behind a tiny orchard of apple and peach trees.
During the building of Landberg Hall, we planted trees and shrubs on campus that were host and nectar plants for butterflies. We have also helped plant some of the plantings around Landberg Hall. We hope to be included in more gardening and conservation projects around the campus grounds in the future!
About Us
This Season's Schedule
Oct 7 ER 12:30-1:30pm
Oct 14 FD 3-4pm
Oct 21 ER 12:30-1:30pm
Oct 28 12:30-1:30pm
Nov 4 ER 12:30-1:30pm
Nov 18 ER 12:30-1:30pm
Our Main Rules
Just a quick reminder, we have a couple rules for safety reasons. We require closed toe shoes for every meeting. We also need to use the "buddy system"; if you are leaving the group for any reason, please take another Hawkmoth with you. Lastly, if you are not coming to a meeting, please let the office know, so we can account for your whereabouts. We want to have fun, but we need to be safe!
