Pierce College is not a place that only students can explore—now it’s for a variety of insects that can fly around the campus freely.
A crowd of students and community members gathered for the Bodega Beautification Workshop on March 26 and planted Milkweed on campus for the Monarch butterflies to make Pierce their new home. The event was organized to inform individuals about the importance of this specific species and the impact it has on the natural ecosystem.
Brahma Bodega Coordinator Geremy Mason is a fan of all the critters on campus and said he enjoys going to the Arboretum.
“One of my favorite reasons for going there is because they have the butterfly habitat, but it is really helpful to create a nicer-looking campus, it feels a little more homey,” Mason said. “We have more greenery and it smells nicer. I think having activities like these for the students, especially students that are interested in it and just want to do something to go out and commune, do something to beautify the campus. It’s a win on all fronts.”
Participants of the Bodega Beautification Workshop gather outside of the Iris 900 building at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. Photo by Sophie Lotterstein.
(L to R) Marcelo Cabrera, a political science major, Estephanie Paz, a psychology student, and Sophie Guardian, a chemistry student, carefully help take out the remaining tiny Milkweeds from the plastic container during the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. Photo by Karla Delgado.
Bryan Perez-Bado, a biology major and student worker at the Dream Resource Center, holds a Milkweed plant and demonstrates how to properly take it out of the container during the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. “I think it’s important to have people understand the spaces that they have around them and be able to connect with them. When I got the chance to be able to put more plants at Pierce, a place that consistently looks beautiful, I wanted to bring in more butterflies. And honestly just have a space for students to feel like they did this—they were a direct impact on it,” Perez-Bado said. Photo by Karla Delgado.
Biology majors Kimberly Olivera (L) and Karen Pacheco (R) plant native plants during the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. Photo by Sophie Lotterstein.
HR Development major Maryam Ghasemi (center) speaks to representatives from the Breathe Initiative Coalition to recieve a gift card at the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. Photo by Sophie Lotterstein.
(L to R) Alexandria Blanco and Ingrid Perez, a child development major, smile as they learn how to plant a tiny Milkweed during the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. “Community wise I think it’s just great learning about it. I definitely did not know about the Monarch butterflies, so it is something interesting knowing, and expanding our knowledge to share with our friends and family, as well as doing good for Earth Day,” Perez said. Photo by Karla Delgado.
A group of students gather to pick out a Milkweed plant out of the container during the Bodega Beautification Workshop at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 26, 2024. Photo by Karla Delgado.
