University of Memphis students joined volunteers across the community Friday at the Memphis Botanic Garden for its monthly Weed Wrangle event.
The event allows volunteers 14 and up to spend time outdoors, learning about plant life and beautifying the gardens for the community to enjoy. Memphis Botanic Garden arborist Bella Mikkelson was present to inform people about the importance of the cleanup. She said the event focuses on removing invasive species to give native plants room to thrive.
The programs are hosted every first Friday of the month, not only make the overall aesthetic of the gardens more eye-catching, but also to allow more natural plants to grow without the worry of invasive plants destroying the already prosperous base.
The removal of weeds may sound like an easy task, however, due to the large property consisting of 96 acres and 30 specialty gardens, it makes the job a lot harder to handle. That is why MBG has opened up numerous volunteer opportunities to the community so that together everyone can bring back to the planet.
Students from the University of Memphis often participate, both for the love of gardening and to earn volunteer hours for scholarships or organizations. Among them was freshman ROTC cadet Iyanna Dixon, who attended with a group of her fellow cadets.
“Usually weekly we try to do at least three events,” Dixon said. “Most of the time it’s football games, where we do color guard and present the flag. The other two are really just whatever we find in the community.”
Regardless of the reason, MBG staff are happy to see the community have their backs and show their green thumbs. The experience and the overall sense of accomplishment is what the garden staff is hoping the volunteers can take away from the opportunity, even if it is something as simple as putting on gloves and pulling weeds from the dirt.
“They’re making a difference in not just the botanic gardens, but in the environment as a whole,” Mikkelson said. “Also just fostering a love for nature and feeding that sense of responsibility."
The Memphis Botanic Garden will continue to host Weed Wrangle events on the first Friday of every month. The next session is scheduled for Nov. 7, offering another opportunity for students and community members to get involved.
Stormi Adams can be contacted at spadams1@memphis.edu.
A student volunteer fills a trash bag full of weeds and found trash in the woodlands.
