The students of The Island School have partnered with Friends of the Farms to create an online field guide about the native birds, insects and plants found in the Bainbridge Island Native Food Forest near the school.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade contributed illustrations as well as detailed descriptions of the plants and animals that live in the forest.

“When we started creating our field guides, the [2nd- and 3rd-grade] children each chose a bird native to Bainbridge Island to research. They learned about the habitat, food and nesting materials each of their birds needed. On our weekly walks to the Food Forest, the children became detectives searching for a glimpse of their birds as well as determining whether the Food Forest was an optimal habitat for them,” teacher Christine Newkirk said.

Students have included “Cool Facts” in the field guide, such as: Red-breasted Nuthatches often hop down a tree head first; if a Western Tiger Swallowtail’s wing tail gets bit off by a bird, it can still fly; and dandelions contain more potassium than bananas.

“Together we are making a difference in caring for and restoring the natural areas of the publicly owned former tree farm, helping it to flourish as a native food forest with ‘snack trails’ that are free and accessible to all,” said Becca Hanson, FOF board chair.

In 2018, FOF created the Native Food Forest in partnership with Bainbridge Prepares and Helpline House after a donation of the land from Marilee McMullen and her daughter, Elizabeth Helbig Grossman, prior owners of the M&E Christmas Tree Farm. FOF is working to transform the 13-acre parcel into a place where people and animals can collect native foods. Completion will take approximately 10-20 years.

The field guide is available online at https://bifoodforestfieldguide.org/.