Can you tell me about how you first encountered Magnolia Glen?

I’ve been going to Magnolia Glen since I was younger, since that’s where my mom has worked for a while now. So I started to get to know all of the [residents] there, and I just fell in love with Magnolia Glen.

How did you decide to make the butterfly garden?

I basically just looked through a list of different ideas, and I talked with one of the workers at Magnolia Glen to see what she thought would fit best. We picked out the butterfly garden just to make the space have more color. I thought they could use this butterfly garden more than really anyone else could. 

Can you describe the garden?

I made a butterfly-shaped garden with three or four different types of flowers, some of which are coneflowers, rubinas, black and blue sage, and purple flowers. Then they patched up around it and put more grass around it, too.

What do you think the garden has brought to the Magnolia Glen community?

I think it’s a space for more of the residents to sit outside and see different wildlife that’s coming around the garden. It gives them something else to enjoy for years to come and things they can look at. 

Why’d you join your scouts troop?

I was one of the first members out of three. I wanted to join Scouts since my brother was in Scouts and Cub Scouts and I did activities with his troop for a while, so I found out that the troop I’m currently in was forming a girl’s troop.

Will you keep doing work like this in the future?

With the garden I’ve already made at Magnolia Glen, I’ll definitely come back, and I’m thinking of adding more flowers to it of different types as well.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect that Kaitlyn Wesdock is not a Girl Scout but a member of one of Raleigh’s inaugural Scouts BSA troops.

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. Comment on this story at [email protected].

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