Pollinator Pathway
Shirley
Welcome to the Town of Shirley Pollinator Pathway!
Shirley is a small community in North Central Massachusetts committed to maintaining our town’s rural character and natural beauty. Recent movements such as Doug Tallamy's Homegrown National Park, the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Habitat Certification Program, and Refugia Greenway Network all highlight the role we can play in the effort to restore critical habitat and improve ecosystem function. By making a few relatively easy, cost-efficient changes at home we can provide benefits to the environment while also fostering a rewarding connection with nature. Our yards can become places that attract and nourish birds and pollinators, help keep our waterways clean, and form a stepping stone within a larger, connected greenway network. When our efforts are combined with others nearby the impact is amplified! We are proud to include Shirley in the Pollinator Pathway Network.
You can be part of the Shirley Pollinator Pathway!
-Add native plants. Native plants provide vital habitat for birds and pollinators. They are also drought-resistant, filter pollutants, and help to prevent erosion.
-Subtract a little lawn – reduce the size and mow less often.
-Avoid chemicals and fertilizers.
-Leave the leaves – go easy on fall clean-up of beds and borders since many pollinators overwinter in leaf matter.
-Remove invasive plants.
Fredonian Park and Nature Center
Fredonian St., Shirley, MA 01464
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 Trustees' Farandnear Reservation
156 Center Rd., Shirley, MA 01464
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.
Partners
Shirley Greenway Committee, Shirley Native and Invasive Plant (SNIP) Network, Catherine Rooney Designer of Greens, Nashua Rivers Wild and Scenic Stewardship Council
Contact: greenway@shirley-ma.gov