Litchfield Pollinator Pathway Project
The Litchfield Pollinator Pathway project is a collaborative effort from the Litchfield High School, Litchfield Garden Club, Litchfield Land Trust, White Memorial Conservation Center, and the Northwest Conservation District.
Litchfield High School Pollinator Meadow
Early in the school year Litchfield High School students conduct a biodiversity lab.
Pollinator Garden at the The White Memorial Conservation Center
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Garden was created by the Litchfield Garden Club and White Memorial located at White Memorial near Ongley Pond. On May 20th, we began establishing a Pollinator Garden at the feet of an existing line of wild cherry trees, in an oval shape in the mid section of the same young forest, closer to Ongley pond. We cleared the ground of surface plants and began planting native species, using buckwheat hulls as mulch. We seeded one area with 1000 seed balls which we created using clay, soil and Northeast native perennial wildflower seeds.
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 Ground preparation of Pollinator Garden |  1000 seed balls of Northeast perennial native species wildflower seeds. |
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 Early planted area of native species perennial pollinators |
 Sub soil created berm around the Rain Garden site. |  Original top soil in place and the Rain Garden site is ready for planting! |
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 The Rain Garden in all its planted glory! |
Rain Garden Rain Garden created by the Litchfield Garden Club and White Memorial located at White Memorial near Ongley Pond.
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The Rain Garden was established on May 6, 2020 at a location at the edge of a gravel road where runoff from the adjoining field would enter the young forest area and sluice across the land into Ongley Pond, taking all the topsoil with it. We used the traditional approach of removing the top 6 inches of topsoil (setting it aside), and then removing the next 6 inches of subsoil creating a berm around the site. We then replaced the original topsoil (plant side down) and planted native species pollinators. We planted white clover seeds on the exterior berm as a way of holding the newly exposed soil, but also keeping bind weed and other invasives out of the garden, which has been very effective. It is an incredible success, containing the water flow entirely, not to mention a resident snake and a mother turtle who laid her eggs in the berm!
Litchfield Pollinator Map
To add your property to the Litchfield Map email
James Fischer, Research Director
The White Memorial Conservation Center
Email: james@whitememorialcc.org
