WILD Wes Continues Summer Work on Permaculture Site

For more than a decade, the student group WILD Wes (Working for Intelligent Landscape Design at Wesleyan University) has worked to transform a .75 acre of sloping, sandy land into a thriving permaculture site.

Located inside the West College Courtyard, the garden boasts a biodiverse natural ecosystem with plants that are beneficial to humans and wildlife. Birds, bees, butterflies (and humans) enjoy the plethora of seasonal produce: blackberries, blueberries, pears, apples, corn, currants, and more. Seasonal flowers, from beebalm to woodland sunflowers, provide insects with nectar-rich meals, and grassy native groundcovers spread to absorb heavy rain and eliminate the need for mowing and fertilizers.

WILD Wes members began working on the courtyard in 2010 and planted their first trees and perennial rain garden two years later. This summer, students laid a paver pathway and encourage passers-by to take a stroll through the site.

The project is supported by the Wesleyan Green Fund, the College of the Environment, Physical Plant, the SAGES-Green Building Subcommittee, the Sustainability Office, and other partners.

View past stories about WILD Wes’s efforts here. Photos of the West College Courtyard in July and August are below: