Students asked questions, ribbed each other and inspected insects as they dug around in the dirt, planting irises, geraniums, baby’s breath, peonies and lamb’s ear.

The garden — and several others around campus — were initially planted by now-retired NCCC science professor Judy Steinberg around a dozen years ago. NCCC spokesman Chris Knight said she took care of all the gardens for a long time.

This year, she donated several dozen plants of eight different species to professor Brian McAllister, who brought his students out on Tuesday to plant.

McAllister said the garden is a great pollinator garden right now, but the plan is to eventually make it an all-native, full-pollinator garden.

North Country Community College sophomore Nick Skiff plants peonies outside the campus library on Tuesday, Earth Day. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

In recent days, they’ve been seeing insects popping out of the ground after overwintering under the snow — crickets, beetles, caterpillars. They’re looking for nectar. If they come out too early, and there are no plants for them to feed on, they’ll die without reproducing.

When they collect nectar from a flower, they get a little pollen on their body, McAllister said. When they travel to another flower, they spread that pollen and help the plants reproduce. This is good for the flowers.

It’s also good for birds. Hummingbirds feed on nectar from flowers like bee balm or day lilies. Other birds feed on insects, which they need to be nutritious and well-fed.