The Finished Product!

This past week Ashley Moore has finished her senior project an all native plant habitat at Sugarloaf School. The project consisted of planting over one hundred plants which were donated from a variety of local nurseries in the Keys. The plants in the habitat resemble two habitats found in the Florida Keys. On the left are the “salty plants” as Moore refers to them, are from the vital habitat of the coastal rockland. Taking up the majority of the garden is the pineland rock hammock habitat. These two habitats are a vital part of the ecosystem of the Florida Keys and provide great learning opportunities for students at Sugarloaf School.



A beautiful plaque placed in the beginning of the habitat catches people’s attention as walking by. The sign tells the purpose of the project “Moore Nature, creating care takers of the land one student at a time”. Each different species of plant also has a name plaque with its common name and botanical name. Towards the back of the habitat is a plaque recognizing all who has contributed to the habitat. These Plaques were donated by Dee Parks and were hand carved with great patience and love.



Moore has scheduled Master Gardeners to come in once a month to manicure and ensure the habitat is healthy for years to come. This also provides Sugarloaf School of less responsibility and labor.



The habitat will thrive with the help of the community for years to come. Moore only hopes that the school takes full advantage of this swell project and the students receive the excellent benefits of learning in this environment.



“It’s been so exciting being involved in this project. It’s been a great pleasure to be back on campus and giving back to the school that gave me so much as a young child.” Moore is currently going back to Arizona to graduate from Prescott College and plans to further her education at University of Arizona for the graduate degree. She plans on returning to her home in the Florida Keys and become even more involved with conservation and environmental education in the Florida Keys.