Rockwell Collins employees help create a butterfly garden at NICC Calmar

Rockwell Collins and NICC Calmar employees have joined together to establish a 6500 sq. ft. native plant butterfly garden at the NICC Calmar campus. The volunteers planted native plants in an area of lawn near the Child Development Center.

The project was supported by a $2,500 grant from the Rockwell Collins Green Communities program, with the money applied toward the purchase of the plants.  South Winneshiek high school students and Lindsay Lee of Willowglen Nursery assisted in the oversight, design and procurement of over 3,400 native flowers consisting of 47 varieties,

As part of the college's master plan, NICC has already created a savannah, planted trees and introduced native prairie spaces. It has also established a shelter belt to beautify the campus, create wind barriers and reduce storm water run-off. The creation of the native plant areas over the past two years is providing an additional benefit of reducing the campus' ongoing lawn care and mowing practices. Establishing the native plant butterfly garden is the next step in the master plan.