LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With class back in session, a University of Louisville biology professor has the help he needs to complete an overdue and outdoor project.

The mornings start early for about a dozen members of UofL’s biology department. Jeffery Masters, a professor in biology, has rounded up help to tend to the wildlife hideaway right in the middle of the UofL campus.

“This is the Harriet Korfhage Garden, and this is a donor supported pollinator garden that was donated by Harriet Korfhage’s family,” Masters explained.

“We’re right by Speed. We’re right by the Life Sciences building,” student Hunter Huffman added.

The Korfhage Garden showcases native Kentucky flowers and grasses and serves as a haven for birds and bugs. “But also a living classroom,” Masters explained. “So we take classes out here. Some of our graduate students do research out here,” the instructor continued.

Masters has been biding his time until enough students returned to campus. This cohort is removing invasive species that have grown up in the green space.

Masters says the work they’re doing is overdue. “The Speed School construction has sort of inhibited how much work we can do here so we had gotten behind on thing like invasive species,” Masters said.

Armed with shovels and rakes, the green thumbs get to work early for two reasons. Louisville has been baking in near record heat and Masters has to teach a class at noon.

“We’re lucky to have the shade and the big, beautiful oak,” Julia Kachanova told Spectrum News. Kachanova is a doctoral student and forfeited the comfort of her air-conditioned office to weed their research garden, which is conveniently located outside her office. “If you want to collect some new data, you can just come downstairs.”

“I know my girlfriend and I like to come here…there’s like clovers that grow, and we like to sit here when school gets like too much,” Huffman said. He makes a good point because any garden can be a “Zen” garden when you put your mind to it.