Mississippi Aquarium creates pollinator garden

Mississippi Aquarium has created a pollinator garden on campus.

The garden contains native and pollinator-friendly plants that provide milkweed, nectar, and shelter for monarchs throughout their annual reproductive and migratory cycles.

The plants were provided by the National Audubon Society and planted by aquarium staff. The garden is located between the aquarium’s founders wall and changing tides.

The monarch butterfly population is threatened by habitat loss and one of the most effective strategies to help them recover is to provide the plants they need to survive. Mississippi Aquarium Director of Research Holley Muraco said, “This is very much a passion project for me. Like I said, dolphins are what I spent most of my career studying, but getting to branch out and truly help all the creatures, especially like the butterflies and the plants and the whole ecosystem, it inspires people, and I love to be a part of it.”

While the garden may be a little barren during the colder months, the aquarium is looking forward to the spring season when the butterflies and plants will flourish again.