Pollinator Pathway

Fredonian Park and Nature Center is a 7-acre municipal park that includes a small pond and brook. In 2022 the Shirley Greenway Committee launched an effort to remove dense invasive vegetation that had overtaken much of the park, and to restore the impacted areas. With grant funding from the Nashua Rivers Wild and Scenic Stewardship Council, the Town was able to hire ecological landscaper Catherine Rooney who trained community members in invasive plant removal. Under her continued guidance, native restoration plantings are now being chosen and installed that will support pollinators and provide wildlife habitat, as well as protect the water resources on the property.   

Among the 50+ community volunteers who have now helped with this project, Girl Scout Troops 62707 and 69097 planted a special pollinator garden area with signage and plant labels to help educate and inspire visitors as part of a Girl Scouts Silver Award Project. Plants in their garden include Joe Pye Weed, Gray Goldenrod, Foxglove Beardtongue, Northern Blazing Star, Bradbury’s Monarda, Wild Bergamot, Butterfly Weed, Virginia Rose, Prairie Dropseed, Prairie Smoke, Purple Prairie Clover, Purple Coneflower, Orange Coneflower, Big Leaf Aster, Aromatic Aster, and Slender Mountain Mint. Other pollinator plants on the property include Jewelweed, Cardinal Flower, Pagoda Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, Elderberry, Sweet Pepperbush, Spicebush, Buttonbush, Common Milkweed, Meadowsweet, a variety of native Asters, and Wrinkle Leaf Goldenrod.

The 89 acres of The Trustees’ Farandnear Reservation includes an arboretum and formal garden area, along with wooded trails, wetlands, and fields of native wildflowers. Some of the pollinator plants and trees in the garden include Redbud, Tulip Tree, Native Dogwoods, Sweet Pepperbush, Native Rhododendron, Fall Aster, Coneflower, Brown-eyed Susan, and Bee Balm. Along the trails and in the meadows find Serviceberry, Red Maple, Mountain Laurel, Sumac, Trailing Arbutus, Bloodroot, Hepatica, Bluets, Jewelweed, Buttonbush, Milkweed, Joe-Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, Meadowsweet, Goldenrod, Aster, Cranberry, Marsh Marigold, and Blue Flag Iris.

Shirley resident Carolina Beard helped transform the garden beds at our town library, Hazen Memorial Library, into a pollinator garden. Carolina writes:  I love my hometown library. For years, I walked by the front flower beds, watching the weeds grow and the dirt crack. It made my heart sick to see the entrance of our beautiful library untended - the outside of our building just did not match the beauty and warmth of what was within!   I had my “aha!” moment as I split stonecrop at my own house - those library beds were ready for a glam up, and I had plenty of perennials that needed a new home.  

After gaining permission to tend the library beds, I created a few boundaries for myself:   1.The beds are bombarded with sun all day and are not irrigated - only plants that would thrive without my babysitting were going in.  

2.Anything that didn’t survive the first year would not be replanted.  

3.The plants had to serve a purpose beyond beauty - pollinator favorites were a requirement!  

4.The library beds are gigantic! 

Plants that would quickly multiply to fill in the space were a plus.   These rules led me to search for perennials on my own property that I could divide. Native plants would, of course, thrive in our Massachusetts environment - even when we had a drought, and even when blasted with full sun. I was willing to water the babies as they became established, but after that, I wanted them to survive with rain water alone. I knew I wouldn’t have the time to water these beds on a regular basis in perpetuity.   I began prepping the beds by digging up the existing daylilies and few remaining perennials in the spring of 2023. 

Fellow Shirley resident and friend, Laura Thomas, helped me in this multi-day endeavor. Weeding. We did a ton of weeding.   We divided the daylilies and kept a few to line the front of the bed - the others were given away. The other perennial that was allowed to stay were the irises.   

Newbies that got to make the library bed their new home:   

• Shasta daisies 

• Stonecrop  

• Yellow evening primrose 

• Purple coneflower 

• Tall garden phlox   

The plants have been thriving, multiplying, and looking as lovely as ever. I love seeing all of the pollinators visiting the library beds every day with new flowers blooming throughout the spring, summer, and fall. The best part? My tending is minimal - I weed every once in a while, mulch in the spring, and prune sporadically.   So library bed #1 of 2 has been completed! 

Next spring (2025) I’ll have enough perennials to divide for the second front bed. In the meantime, I hope the flowers and the community of bugs they attract bring a smile to all of the library patrons in the warm months. They certainly make me a happy gardener!