Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab
The 2024 Native Plant Sale is here!
Schedule your 2024 EcoLab field trip!
The Nina Mason Pulliam is a 75-acre natural area on the Marian University campus that is open to Marian students and the Indianapolis community. We work year-round to restore the native wetlands, prairies, and forests found on our property. The EcoLab is a highly biodiverse area with rare wetland habitats and threatened animal species all within a few miles of downtown Indianapolis. Our goal is to restore and protect these lands so current and future Indianapolis residents are able to experience the beauty and wonder of Indiana’s native landscape.
We want to instill a love for nature into the hearts of Indiana’s future leaders: students. We offer a one-of-a-kind field trip system to 6-12 grade students where they will learn concepts from local environmental experts at Marian University. Upper level high school students also have the opportunity to experience the rigor of college-level curriculum and participate in active research projects. For current Marian undergraduate students, we offer paid internships through our decade-old internship program. The Ecolab also hosts several collegiate level-research projects from various Marian professors and students. We do all of this to fulfill the mission of the EcoLab: to create more and better environmental citizens.
Indiana residents of all ages are welcome to participate in the EcoLab through social media, community event days, and volunteerism. We post content of our restoration efforts, scenery, and fun events happening year-round. The EcoLab hosts educational events for the entire Indianapolis community on a variety of topics. Whether you volunteer for one day or a whole season, you become part of the EcoLab family and become an active participant in the conservation of our Indiana environment. We truly rely on the community’s support and we appreciate your desire to make a difference.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit today!
Upcoming Events in the EcoLab
Check back in May for our Summer Community Events calendar!
Blog Posts
The Mystery of Monarch Butterflies
By Jenna Geise, '23
Monarch butterflies are one of the most famous butterfly species on the planet and are easily recognizable by their orange and black wing pattern. In addition to their iconic appearance, they are also famous for their migration patterns, traveling between 1,200-2,800 miles from the United States or Canada to forests in central Mexico, However, in recent years, there seems to be a decline in their population. Through the 2019-2020 wintering season, there was a 53% decrease in the butterfly population compared to previous years. This decline can partly be attributed to climate change, as winters in Mexico are slowly becoming colder and wetter, which is fatal to monarch butterflies. Climate change also reduces food availability.
Scientists can notice changes in a population as a result of tagging. When tagging a butterfly, scientists capture a butterfly using a large soft net, which will not harm the butterfly. They then gently fold the butterfly’s wings closed and perform an inspection to gather information about it. Once this is done, a tag is attached to the butterfly’s discal cell of their lower wing, which allows anyone surveying butterfly populations to gather information about their migration pattern. In the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab, we perform butterfly tagging to learn more about the population of monarch butterflies that visit the EcoLab, along with ways we can help them thrive despite our changing climate. This not only provides students with the opportunity to learn more about monarch butterflies in general but also provides the ability to learn more about population tracking as a whole, which applies to many careers in the scientific field. You can help conserve the monarch butterfly population by planting milkweed, which is the primary source of food for monarch caterpillars, and other native flowering plants that provide food for adult butterflies. You can also reduce the number of insecticides used in your yard. All of these things can greatly benefit other pollinators and species of wildlife as well.
For more information on monarch butterflies, check out these resources:
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