The Wolf River Wildlife Education Area is an ongoing project led by the Wolf River Conservancy in partnership with Shelby Farms Park. It is located at the Lucius Burch Natural Area Trailhead, also referred to as the Wolf River Refuge Trailhead, at the southeast corner of Shelby Farms Park near the Wolf River (MAP). It features four pollinator habitat beds in the parking lot, a chimney swift tower, a purple martin gourd rack, a bat house, and several other nest boxes around the forest edge. There is also an observation deck over a created wetland, as well as field and forest habitats and the nearby Wolf River.
We would like to acknowledge the Shelby County Public Works Dept. which initiated this project with a Tennessee Healty Watersheds Initiative grant. Funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and FedEx, through the NFWF restoration and education grants, has provided many of the wildlife enhancement features, including native plants for the habitat beds. Finally, our thanks to the many volunteers - from FedEx, University of Memphis, Shelby County Schools, independent schools, Wolf River Conservancy, and others who have helped to create and maintain this area.
Guide to the Pollinator Habitat Beds
The Plants
With a few exceptions, all of the plants in the habitat beds are native plants which are beneficial to native insects. For each bed, the plants are listed below. Please check back for more information and photos in the future!
Pollinator Habitat Bed #1 Pollinator Habitat Bed #2
Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) Viburnum burkwoodii
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) Possumhaw Viburnum
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) Switchgrass
Broomsedge Bluestem (Andropogon virginicus) Broomsedge Bluestem
Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) Ironweed
Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) Swamp Milkweed (larval host plant)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Blazing Star
Bee Balm or Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Passion Vine (larval host plant)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Coral Honeysuckle
Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) Bee Balm
Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) Purple Coneflower
Viburnum burkwoodii (exotic hybrid) Homestead Verbena
Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum) Joe Pye Weed
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Evening Primrose
Passionvine (Passiflora incarnata) Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) (larval host plant)
Homestead Verbena (Glandularia canadensis) Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Boneset
Pollinator Habitat Bed #3 Pollinator Habitat Bed #4
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) Buttonbush
Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum) Possumhaw Viburnum
Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum burkwoodii) Burkwood Viburnum
Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Passion Vine (Passiflora incarnata) Aromatic Aster (Aster oblongifolius)
Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa) Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Aromatic Aster (Aster oblongifolius) Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) Little Bluestem
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Fireworks Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa)
Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) White False Indigo (Baptisia alba)
Star Tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens) Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Dwarf Blazing Star (Liatris microcephala)
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Boneset
The Insects
Butterflies (most easily observed mid-June to mid-October)
(Not a complete list) Tiger Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail, Pipevine Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Monarch, Viceroy, Gulf Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Questionmark, Comma, Hairstreak, Sleepy Orange, Clouded Sulphur, Silver-sided Skipper, Fiery Skipper
Moths: Hummingbird Clearwing, Eight-spotted Forester