Little Free Library in the Butterfly Garden

Hanahan Library is the only library in the county that sits next to a butterfly garden. Through the past three years, and through Keep Hanahan Beautiful volunteer efforts and generous grants, the site has become an idyllic and educational spot. On June 22nd, the library plans to host two events, including a Free Little Library Ribbon Cutting ceremony and a Cypress Gardens Butterfly program. Families are invited come and attend these events, and are encouraged to take a walk through the beautiful garden.

The New Free Little Library

The Hanahan Butterfly & Pollinator Garden Project started when Berkeley County donated land next to Hanahan Library’s new building in November 2014. A perfect partnership started. Keep Hanahan Beautiful (KHB), a local non-profit that promotes community pride through recycling, preservation, and beautification, took on the project and made it flourish.

Phase 1 of the project meant breaking ground and designing the Butterfly Garden as well as a Rain Garden. In addition, designers built a Rain Harvesting System to recycle water and make better use of the earth’s resources. Volunteers came and gave their time to lay mulch, design flowerbeds, and help wherever help was needed.

In September 2015, KHB received a grant from Lowe’s and assistance from volunteers to beautify the area. Kids received a new area with rubber mulch and picnic tables. Visitors enjoyed a new bench swing and stone pathway.

Since then, volunteers have been maintaining the garden. Recently, local schools got involved with the project too.  The Hanahan Elementary School Council decorated and painted the picnic tables, giving them some artistic flair. An art teacher and her class made beautiful mosaic stone stepping stones.

Photo taken in the garden – Image from Keep Hanahan Beautiful

All these achievements make this garden something worth celebrating and learning from. On June 22nd at 3 pm, employees from Cypress Gardens will be bringing a butterfly program to the library’s activity room in order to teach kids about the insect’s life cycle.

Just an hour later at 4 pm, Hanahan Library will host their Free Little Library Ribbon Cutting ceremony in memory of Daniel Kennedy, son of a longtime Hanahan library friend and customer, Mrs. Peggy Kennedy. Little Free Library is a national initiative to keep open access to reading for everyone by spreading small book exchange boxes around the country.

The Hanahan Butterfly and Pollinator Garden project is always growing and welcoming assistance. If you’re interested in volunteering, visit Keep Hanahan Beautiful’s website to get involved.

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About the Berkeley County Library System: The Berkeley County Library System enriches lives by informing, inspiring and illuminating its local community. The system consists of six branches and a bookmobile that offer programs and services to a growing county. For more information about BCLS, visit berkeleylibrarysc.org.

About Little Free Library: Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. Through Little Free Libraries, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds. For more information about Little Free Library, visit https://littlefreelibrary.org/.

About Keep Hanahan Beautiful: Keep Hanahan Beautiful is a Volunteer – Non-Profit organization that inspires community involvement through its commitment to making the City of Hanahan a cleaner, safer environment for now and future generations. The mission of Keep Hanahan Beautiful is to unite the resources of citizens, businesses, and government to take action as environmental stewards to protect and improve the quality of life in our community by instilling pride in ownership through education, outreach, and programs that focus on waste reduction/recycling, litter control and beautification. For more information about Keep Hanahan Beautiful, visit http://www.keephanahanbeautiful.org/.