The Garden at South Plains College

10/07/2026

Each year, we participate in capturing and tagging monarch butterflies as they migrate through the South Plains. So far we have captured and tagged seven individuals. We are typically finding them as they are visiting the zinnias in the SPC Garden throughout the day. Yesterday, we were also able to visit with students and community members in Sundown, TX at the City of Sundown Library to demonstrate tagging and release at their new monarch waystation/ butterfly garden. Keep an eye out for these beautiful migratory butterflies, and wish them well on their way. If you'd like to support their populations, consider planting nectar producing flowers for the fall migration in addition to milkweeds that serve as a host plant for the caterpillars during the spring. 🐛

10/06/2026

We are just out here catching monarchs for tagging 🦋

10/04/2026

This year, the Botany program showed up and showed out at the South Plains Fair! Associate Professor Kristin Bingham  led this project, creating opportunities for students to attend the fair for free in addition  to presenting a talk on pressing plants for the public. Students collected, identified, pressed, and mounted different plant specimens to enter into competitions at this year's fair, then they were able to visit and see how they and their classmates did. Five students ended up winning awards for their herbarium specimen submissions! The Botany program was also able to enter a number of plants in the various categories for judging as well. Overall the program won 20 different awards. This is a tremendous success for our first time time participating as a program, and we are excited to continue to do this in the future. 

09/29/2026

09/28/2026

Getting camera ready for spctexanmosaic to shout out what cool things we are doing in Botany @ SPC!

09/25/2026

It is the absolute joy of my career to see students that have *thrived* after transferring from SPC. To say I am proud of Hector Lee Valencia doesn't even come close! He has traveled and studied and researched and just lived his best life and it all started in wildlife and in the garden at SPC. Cheers to a rainy day at the fair, but a Horticulture building full of smiles and friends.

09/24/2026

I see ribbons on student submissions! 🙌🙌🙌

09/23/2026

It's set up day at the South Plains Fair! If you're visiting the fair between this Friday and October 3, stop by the Horticulture building to check out our booth, see our student submissions, and say hi! 👋🏻

09/21/2026

Preparing herbarium specimen entries for the Panhandle South Plains Fair Horticultural competition. Come see our botany students' work starting this Friday!

04/02/2026

This week, we worked with Professor Kirby and her students in Communications and Media to create a video segment on fairy Gardens. Check out our gardens in the Science Center and by Professor Bingham's office and stay tuned to see the finished product! 🧚