We’ve heard songs like Elvis Presley’s "Pocket Full of Rainbows," Perry Como’s "Catch a Falling Star" to put it in our pocket, and most of us have sung the nursery rhyme mentioning a "pocket full of posies," but what do we do with a pocket prairie?

If you’re wondering what a pocket prairie is, you’re not alone. To clarify, it is defined as a small, pollinator-friendly planting or "pocket" of native plants. Any planted area under one acre can be considered a pocket prairie.

If you’re ever near Stillwater’s Regional airport, at the corner of McElroy Road and Western Road, a pocket prairie in the shape of a huge butterfly has been installed with help from students at Oklahoma State University (OSU). With a 122-foot wingspan and 4,000 square feet of native grasses in all four wing segments, OSU’s new butterfly pocket prairie is tangible evidence of a great partnership between environmentally minded students and the university to provide more pollinator habitat across the state.

Oklahoma is home to over 170 species of butterflies from the nation’s largest (Giant Swallowtail - Papilio cresphontes) [photo 1] to the smallest (the Western Pygmy Blue - Brephidium exilis) [photo 2] and representatives from all six major butterfly families. Such variety is primarily a result of the state’s range of ecosystems and vegetation types–from the shortgrass prairie of the Panhandle in the northwest corner of the state, to the towering forests of shortleaf pines that drape the Ouachita Mountains in the southeast.

John Lee, director of OSU Landscape Services, said the project is not only beautiful but it also improves the environment and decreases the costs of maintaining the land. Instead of mowing the entire field, two 6-foot wide strips will be mowed from the parking area around the butterfly for visitors to traverse.

"We’re already doing something to maintain the area," Lee said. "We thought, ’Why not maintain something that creates more benefit and provides a habitat for pollinators?’ The students have been wonderful in helping this garden take shape, and I am tremendously grateful to our senior administration for supporting such a unique project."

Nick Oullette, manager of OSU Landscape Services, said, "Native plants are being reintroduced into the pocket prairie. In all, there are 34 different plant species. We’ve selected plants so that there is something blooming throughout the entire season."

Steve Dobbs, former director of Landscape Services and current horticulture consultant, always thought this was the perfect location for a pocket prairie. He planted the proverbial seed and then John Lee took it one step further, with the idea of a butterfly design. Oullette moved the process along one step further still, laying out the butterfly’s design with walking trails around the edges, including benches and a spot for bee boxes at the end of the longest antenna.

Before winter break, the landscape staff was joined by students for a field day to plant grasses. The students who participated came from nine different majors, ranging from geography and civil engineering to statistics and psychology.

The 6-inch concrete edge restraints that outline the wings were already in place. The butterfly’s hind (lower) wings were hand-planted with native grasses. The forewings were seeded with a grass and forbs mix (a variety of wildflowers that support pollinators and provide food to grassland birds). The exterior 6-foot band surrounding the wings was seeded with tall fescue and a ryegrass blend which will be a trimmed pathway for visitors. The abdomen of the butterfly is filled with decomposed granite chips. There is also a garden map and benches for visitors to sit and enjoy the view.

"The plantings will attract all sorts of pollinators," Lee said. "If we get 200 species of insects out here pollinating, that’s fantastic."

The project came about because of a simple suggestion. Carly Noone, a third-year civil engineering student, serves as the networking chair for Engineers Without Borders. She heard that the OSU Student Government Association was offering a $5,000 Green Student Initiative grant, so she applied. "Personally, I’m very passionate about sustainability and our impact on the environment," Noone said.

Gabby Barber, who works with the OSU Office of Sustainability, reached out to Carly and recommended applying for the grant. So Noone reached out to the landscaping department and the other officers with Engineers Without Borders to make the prairie a reality.

"The biggest piece for me is advocacy," Barber said. "I grew up camping, hiking and being in nature. It’s very personal for me. These ecosystems are disappearing." Barber, a senior majoring in plant biology, has worked with the Sustainability Office since fall 2020. She applied for OSU to be a monarch butterfly waystation and designed an insect hotel which will be going in behind the Edmon Low Library.

Thanks to OSU, there is now one more scenic place to travel to in the great state of Oklahoma. Whether you’re interested in bees, butterflies, landscaping ideas, or just to go somewhere and listen to songs that mention the word "pocket," the pocket prairie in Stillwater will be worth the trip.