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Photos by: Gary Fewless
Location:, Green Bay, WI
Date taken:26 June 2002
Lenfestey Family Courtyard
Click on the the thumbnails below to see panorama photos of the courtyard
This week marks the dedication of the Lenfestey Family Courtyard in Mary Ann Cofrin Hall. The courtyard and its plantings were made possible by a generous gift from the Lenfestey Family Foundation. Mrs. Josephine B. Lenfestey and her late husband, Frederick J. (Ted) Lenfestey, have been strong supporters of UW-Green Bay from its earliest days.
Like the rest of Mary Ann Cofrin Hall, the courtyard design demonstates ecologically responsible architecture. Rainwater is captured from the roof for the cistern and the pond. Recycled utility poles were used to build the trellis and recycled stone slabs surround the pond and planters. The trellis will support native Virginia creeper whose dense foliage will shade the west facing windows.
Native plants have been used throughout the courtyard. Native species are better adapted to the local climate and require less pesticides and water than many non-native species. Already American Robins and Cedar Waxwings are feeding on Juneberries that were planted in the courtyard. Elderberries and Mountain Ash are in flower and will provide fruits for birds later in the summer.
Seven garden plots in the courtyard represent suites of ecologically related native plants and cultivars found in the Great Lakes Region. The Butterfly Garden features native prairie species that are especially attractive to butterflies and their caterpillars. The Northern Barrens Garden contains a variety of plants including Blueberries and Sweet Fern that thrive in well drained low-fertility soils. The Tallgrass Prairie Garden illustrates the variety of grasses and forbs that once covered much of southern Wisconsin. The Sand Prairie Garden illustrates the types of prairie that form on sand ridges or other sandy areas. The Fern Garden contains several of our native woodland ferns. The Woodland Garden contains trees that are typical to an early successional woodland. The Native American Herb Garden contains mostly prairie species that were used for medicinal purposes by Wisconsin tribes. The Heirloom Vegetable Garden illustrates vegetables and flowers that were brought to Wisconsin by farmers in the 1800s and early 1900s.
The Lenfestey Family Courtyard is already popular with students and visitors looking for a quiet place to read, study, or to just view the gardens.
Contributed by Vicki Medland, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity
© 2001-2004 The Cofrin Center
for Biodiversity and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay,
All Rights Reserved
Last
updated on
April 15, 2014