Sweet Briar College is pursuing BeeCampus USA certification! Working as part of Sustainability Club, and in collaboration with our Grounds Team and other campus community members, students are supporting the native pollinator habitat we currently have on campus, while also helping to add more.
Our BeeCampus USA certification initiative began as a special project of Willits Summer Food Systems Fellow Emma Evans ’26, who serves as our student BeeCampus chair.
Sweet Briar College BeeCampus Projects
Spring 2024
On 30 March 2024, months of preparation and planning with our Grounds Team and the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) culminated in a group of students planting 200 native shrub seedlings on campus. These elderberry, indigo bush, and button bush seedling will grow to provide important pollinator habitat and food sources. They will also help to create a transitional border between a meadow and pine forest, which will provide key habitat for larger wildlife.
Elderberry ( Sambucus canadensis ) supports numerous pollinators, including native bees.
Indigo bush (Amorpha fruticosa) supports many butterflies and native bees.
Button bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) supports a wide range of butterflies (including monarchs) and moths.
