Flora, Fauna, Fish: EMU Greenhouse

Josiah Garber

Second-year student Absalom Shank, greenhouse work-study student, takes care of the plants. Students have the opportunity to sell their plants occasionally during events such as at the annual Mennonite Relief Sale.

What do goldfish, cacti, and a mysterious tree frog have in common (No, it's not a new reality TV production)? They can all be found in EMU's own greenhouse.

The greenhouse in the lower level of Suter Science Center is home to many other interesting, and sometimes exotic, organisms. In addition to the diverse selection of plants one would expect to find, the green house is also home to a small menagerie of animals that includes an iguana, two turtles, a disappearing tree frog, many goldfish, and a gecko. A small albino corn snake and a bull python reside just outside the greenhouse.

Professor Jim Yoder, who serves on the committee that oversees the greenhouse, is primarily concerned with the animals in the greenhouse system. Yoder supervises the work-study students who care for the reptiles and fish. According to Yoder, he is very pleased with the workstudy students, Absalom Shank, Dan Brubaker, and Kendra Heatwole.

"They handle the greenhouse well. Absalom (Shank) should get a lot of credit. He's been really active with the greenhouse, and he kind of has free reign to do what he wants."

If given complete free reign, Shank, a junior, would make the greenhouse "more a small zoo or a giant terrarium." He said that he loves animals and has been pushing to get more into the greenhouse. Dan Brubaker, another greenhouse guardian, agrees. "I would really like to get more animals into the greenhouse."

However, the dilemmas arise of which animals to add and how to recreate their ecosystems. Shank says that the greenhouse should be "the home of some large mammal. A monkey would be great. We'd have to change the entire greenhouse into a tropical forest area-take out the tables, block off the cracks in the windows-but I'd love to see a monkey in here."

Although not about to undertake such a large-scale project, the greenhouse is undergoing a smaller, but just as exciting, revision. The greenhouse workers are preparing to create a desert area inside the greenhouse. They will be developing an ecosystem natural to hermit crabs. The greenhouse is already a home to several desert plants, including many cacti, which are Brubaker's favorite type of plant.

Over the last year, the greenhouse has been the site of another interesting project. Last summer, Eric Blosser and Absalom Shank put a pond in the middle of the greenhouse. The pond is a home to multitudes of goldfish who enjoy a built-in waterfall. The goldfish aren't the only ones who appreciate the new addition. Junior Kendra Heatwole says her favorite things about the greenhouse are the "relaxing sounds of the waterfall and the smell of the plants."

The greenhouse definitely provides a pleasant, earthy aroma, Heatwole notices. "It's different than any other smell on campus. I love how you can just open the door and breathe it in."

This is due largely to the amount of plants within the small greenhouse building. At the recent plant sale, workers estimated over 200 plants were sold. The proceeds of around $350 will go towards the Science Center's various projects, which include buying seeds and plants for continued propagation. There are several people, though, who would love to see the money bring more animal life into the greenhouse. After all, one disappearing tree frog can only provide so much entertainment.