Allan Appel Photo
Sawyer Christmann made believe he was the first butterfly in the garden.
And for the butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
That’s the case now that a dozen hearty members of the Friends of Quinnipiac River Park (FOQRP) assembled with shovels and rakes, a few black-eyed susans, some yarrow, bee balm, and other native plants, and made themselves a bird and butterfly garden.
Before 7‑year-old Sawyer Christmann (pictured above) and other real and make-believe butterflies could land, the crew first agreed on the location for the garden on a recent afternoon.
Crew members followed the advice of Kate Blake, a community organizer for Audubon Connecticut who had come by at the request of FOQRP’s chief organizer, Thomas Burwell, to give a few pointers before the planting.
She suggested that a garden for birds and pollinators be in a place that’s visible, have all native plants, and have structure — that is, layering, with some plants taller than others, and as much diversity as possible to attract the birds.
She called the park by the Q — and all of Connecticut — absolutely “awesome” from the point of view of migratory birds flying over the Sound and looking for a place to land, rest, and feast on some berries and bugs.
Blake with (front to back) tickseed, black-eyed susan, yarrow, the kinds of native plants ideal for birds and pollinators.
After remarks by Blake (pictured), a vote was taken to put the garden in quite close to the crosswalk and the street, but beside the large Stony Creek granite stone that marks a midway entry to the park at Front and Pierpont Street.
Led by Burwell and stalwart neighborhood gardeners, including Maria Quinones, as well as new young gardeners Roan and Sawyer Christmann, the crew dug down about six inches.
Burwell with a chart of invasive plants to be avoided, like knotweed and bittersweet.
They turned the grass, shook off the the good soil, and removed stones and a few pieces of glass that turned up in otherwise good-looking dirt. It only took about an hour of concerted community effort to create the space and reveal that it was well-chosen. The soil seemed rich and reddish, even, in the early sunset light, a nice surprise given that the now beautiful riverine park land held a junkyard for decades.
The next step was to turn the soil more, remove weeds, and then bring over the plants.
There weren’t quite enough of the native perennials yet to plant in the clumps that Blake had suggested, so the gardeners arranged the plants in an aesthetically pleasing manner, trying to mix the closer-to-the-ground irises with the taller yarrow. Then wheelbarrows of mulch were brought in and spread before final planting.
More plants are to come. Blake said there are at least six other gardens at parks and schools around the city that have bird and pollinator gardens, including Dover Beach Park just up Front Street.
Now there are seven. Lucky for the birds and the bees.