The Brownsville campus is home to different sustainability initiatives, such as the Bee Campus USA Pollinator-Friendly Garden and the Native Plant Nursery.
“You will actually see buzzing bees and butterflies, but [the garden] also serves faculty and students wanting to conduct research on pollinators,” said Jeremy San Miguel, assistant director of the UTRGV Office for Sustainability Programs.
San Miguel added sustainability efforts on campus happen through collaboration between departments and student organizations, with a common goal of leaving the world a better place.
The Bee Campus USA Pollinator-Friendly Garden was established in 2018 by faculty from the former Department of Biology and School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences to contribute toward conservation efforts, according to the UTRGV Office for Sustainability Programs website. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERShown is a bee on an Aster plant in the Native Plant Nursery, located in front of Casa Bella on the Brownsville campus. The garden is directed by Christopher Gabler, assistant professor of plant ecology and sustainability. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERBee Campus USA Pollinator-Friendly Garden is located next to the Life and Health Science Building on the Brownsville campus. UTRGV is one of seven campuses in Texas that has a Bee Campus USA garden, according to the Bee City USA website. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERShown is a Zizote milkweed, native to the Rio Grande Valley, in the Native Plant Nursery in front of Casa Bella on the Brownsville campus. This is the only plant where monarch caterpillars can lay eggs, according to Savannah Zarate, supervisor of the nursery. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERThe Carlowrightia plant is a source of nectar and host plant for the Crimson Patch butterfly. A specimen is located at the Bee Campus USA Pollinator-Friendly Garden on the Brownsville campus. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERShown is a small pond at the Bee Campus USA Pollinator-Friendly Garden on the Brownsville campus, which serves as a source of water for birds and insects. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERShown are elbowbush and Brasil plants in the Native Plant Nursery on the Brownsville campus. The shrubs were grown under a contract for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The nursery, upon request, donates them to students and local residents, according to Savannah Zarate, supervisor of the garden. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDERA damselfly rests in a plant in the Native Plant Nursery on the Brownsville campus. Damselflies are related to dragonflies and serve as natural pest control in gardens, according to Savannah Zarate, supervisor of the nursery. Mariajose Garza/THE RIDER
