Ever since his dad taught him how to plant and successfully grow seeds when he was young, senior Tommy Ferguson has been intrigued by the study of the relationships between organisms to each other and their environment. This process is known as ecology.

“My dad introduced me to gardening. I planted a couple of seeds in the ground, and my Dad saw that and replaced them with viable seeds that would actually grow and become something very tall,” Ferguson said.

Now that he is older, Ferguson’s primary focus is no longer just gardening, but going out and studying native species at local parks.

“When I find an interesting ecosystem I analyze what is going on in it. I see what species are where, I take the bugs into consideration, and if there are new plants, I intensely study the plant to see how it interacts ecologically,” Ferguson said.

To Ferguson, ecology is a very important topic that he thinks everyone would benefit from if they got into it. He said that knowing how bugs, plants and insects interact in your backyard can be used to your advantage.

“Let’s say you like a certain species of butterfly, and you want just that species, you need the knowledge to know what attracts them,” he said.

Ferguson wants people to learn about and take care of the organisms and plant life around them in order to keep the planet healthy. As part of that, he’s planning to further his own education after high school.

“I am currently planning to pursue an associate degree in horticulture at STLCC-Meramec, after that, I’m going to Mizzou to get a degree in natural resources conservation,” Ferguson said.