Master Gardener volunteers of the Iredell Master Gardener Extension Agency set up a Demonstration Garden a number of years ago in Iredell County to highlight gardening and home horticulture to educate the public. The garden showcases home gardening themes like water garden, perennial gardens, native plant garden, shade gardening, home orchard and vegetable garden. We became interested in declining pollinator insect populations a few years ago. At that time an Eagle Scout candidate built a large native bee habitat house near our orchard. I was thrilled when Lauren Gregg approached me about the possibility of a Girl Scout pollinator garden the very next year. I discussed this with my fellow master gardeners and the Extension service and they were all for it. She began working in the garden in 2020 transplanting and dividing plants from her home garden as well as growing other plants from seed. A nice diverse pollinator garden was established with plants as varied as Joe Pye Weed, coreopsis, coneflowers and other native pollinator promoting plants. This garden area was placed between the Orchard area and native bee habitat home. These areas have dovetailed nicely providing habitat for native bees and butterfly’s. Birds also benefit from the insect attracted in the summer and the food source in seed heads in winter. Lauren has not only planted the garden but shown commitment by maintaining the pollinator garden she planted thru 2020 & 2021 requiring frequent trips to the garden to water and weed. I’d add other than providing space in the garden for her in the garden and some mild over site it’s been all her effort. She raised funds and provided her own plants and more importantly kept up the garden she planted. This has been the most exceptional ongoing commitment of effort and time I’ve seen at our garden by any young person.