Living Lab Update: Native Grasses

How does your Living Lab relate to sustainability?

Our Living Lab project is the restoration of a native prairie planting. Once established, this planting will require less care than a typical lawn area. In addition, it is sustainable in that it will have diverse native grass and wildflower species that will support native pollinators and butterflies.

How has your Living Lab changed since its beginning? What has been successful/unsuccessful?

We are still undergoing site preparation which involves the intensive management of 2 invasive species that dominated the site. The first round of herbicide treatment has been implemented and follow-up applications are planned.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a Living Lab?

Reach out to people because you never know what kind of expertise they may have to offer that will complement your own strengths.

What has been the most rewarding part about the Living Lab program?

Because we are still in development phase, we don't have the satisfaction of a completed project yet, so I would say the most rewarding part to date has been making new partnerships that we hadn't foreseen.

Living Lab Update: Native Pollinators (Bee Garden)

How does your Living Lab relate to sustainability?

Our living lab project related to sustainability in two ways. First, the native plants represented in the pollinator garden are important members of Minnesota's native landscape. By informing the public about native flowers and encouraging their propagation, we are aiding all the animals that have co-evolved with and depend on them. This includes everything from soil dwelling microbes to insects and birds. By supporting these relationships and interactions we help to create a more resilient and productive ecosystem.
This leads to our second point, pollinators. The plants selected and planted are all known to be exceptional forage resources for pollinating insects. Pollination is a critical ecosystem service that not only indispensable to natural ecosystems, but is important to the sustainability of our agricultural food production systems as well. Given the current declines in pollinator species as well as the challenges faced by honeybee keepers, cultivating plants that provide nutrition for bees is especially important. By informing people about the value of these particular plants to pollinators we hope to encourage people to take an active roll in preserving this important group of animals.
How has your Living Lab changed since its beginning? What has been successful/unsuccessful?
Currently, our pollinator display is thriving! The plants are establishing especially well and have even begun to bloom, something that wasn't expected until year two. Thus far we have provided temporary labels to inform the public of the name of the plants in lieu of more permanent and informative labels. Deciding the best type of label and the information to be provided on them has thus far been our biggest challenge.  
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a Living Lab?
It is important to walk a line between creativity and thinking outside the box, while also selecting a project that is appropriate for your site. For instance, creating a rain garden demonstration in an area of campus that is naturally very dry and elevated would not be appropriate. In addition, be sure that you have a plan in place to communicate to the public as well as provide long term maintenance to the site. These two considerations go hand-in-hand, as a poorly maintained site will lose its functionality and purpose over time, thus providing limited or inaccurate information to the public.
What has been the most rewarding part about the Living Lab program?
Ian: For me it has been watching the plants flower, and the various species of bees start to forage in our garden. It will make an excellent site for future extension and educational activities regarding pollinators and native plants.
Madeline: It has been exciting to see how successful our plants have been in the site we selected. Some of the species are plants I have never personally grown before, and being able to view them in a natural setting where they are thriving is a great and educational experience. It is also very helpful to have an area that is part of the Display and Trail garden devoted to native pollinator-friendly plants, as interested garden visitors can easily be directed there.