A Journey to Community

 

Over the last 8 months or so, I have had the great pleasure of working with a Local Girl Scout Troop. These are middle school aged students, who have had to juggle a lot during this last year. In addition to their school upheaval, they had also planned to work toward their Silver Award, a high honor in Scouting circles.  Their proposal was to create a pollinator garden at the Parker Brothers Preserve on River Rd. in Pawcatuck.   This sweet garden-like preserve was a somewhat underappreciated parcel, and over the years, the invasives began to take over. It was looking a bit unloved.  As soon as the girls came forward with their ideas, it made me look at the preserve with new appreciation.  We ourselves began to try and uncover and recover its potential.   As the girls began their research and we consulted about their base plan, we stewards began to attack the greater problems.  Over this past year we have untangled many trees, rescued and rejuvenated berry shrubs and cleared some of the stone walls.   The pollinator garden took shape with help from parents and neighbors. Last fall they planted and this spring we have already welcomed pollinators to the early spring flowers.  In a few weeks, the scouts: Nora, Sierra and Kate and their families will celebrate their Silver Award Winning project. 

For them it wasn’t just about making a garden to fulfill a requirement. It truly was helping to create a benefit for pollinators, as well as creating a lovely spot for community members to gather and enjoy being outside again.

Please watch their video here.  Read their report and take some time to visit their garden at the Parker Brother’s Preserve.    Thank you to all involved.  Beth

A Journey to Community by Sierra Redfern

The star of the show - a Monarch!

We began the Pollinator Project looking to change our community for the better.  Make a difference together.  It started as a project for a silver award and became so much more.  We found that we could help others through this project. 

Last fall the preserve was
cleaned up and
the garden dug.

We started on planning our garden, researching on what plants
would work best. We divided the research between the three of us and attended a weekly meeting every Tuesday at 5.  Once all of our research was finished we put our plan into action.  We dug up our garden and cleaned up the area around it.  Now we were ready to get our plants!

Nora's PAWSOME
dog treat fundraiser!

One of our girl scouts, Nora, had raised money selling dog treats so we could fund our project, so we purchased our plants and began to plant them.  They were all perennials so they could come back every year without our help.  We wanted our project to last a long time.  Our garden was planted but we weren’t done.  We still had to add our butterflies!  Because you can’t have a butterfly garden without butterflies!

We had to wait though because the best time to release these insects is near the end of April, so we decided we weren’t done quite yet with pollinators.  We all collaborated on a 3 part video explaining the importance of pollinators, why they’re going extinct, and how we can save them.  This was one of the most important parts of our project.  And once we were done we got to share it with local areas that wanted to help spread our message. (Editor's note: You can watch it here!)

Early spring bulbs welcomed the insects!

To bring some more passion to the garden we made signs for our plants, a care tip book, and painted rocks.  All to help bring our garden to life, and once our butterflies are released then our garden will have truly been completed.  Completed but not finished, the whole point of our silver award was to give back to the community, and our garden will help bring more pollinators to the neighborhood, bring people together, and make some new memories.

Getting donations from Stonington Gardens 
and Pequot Plant Farm

Planting in the fall

Later this season, there will be many more
welcoming flowers for bees!

Spring Is Here!

 As in the past several years, I am getting a  fun break from writing the blog and turning it over to students from the Conn College Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment.  I enjoy the new voices. Sometimes they see the same things differently. They have different points of view. I always learn a lot from these enthusiastic and motivated young adults. This year has been more challenging due to Covid.  But they have adapted well.

These upcoming weeks will showcase essays for the blog post by different students. Some will highlight the project they are working on or offer their thoughts on different topics. The photos will be from various sources but the words are their own. 

Please enjoy their voices.  Beth

******

Blooming cherry blossoms
welcomingthe world to spring

The start of spring marks a new beginning. As the days get longer, the weather warms, and animals start to wake up from hibernation, we too crawl out from under our warm covers and start enjoying the sunshine and the outdoors. March 20 marked the first official day of spring this year and was welcomed wholeheartedly. As we start to leave cold, rainy days in the past and start to enjoy fresh air more, it is not unusual to encounter wildlife while taking a leisurely outdoor walk. Here are a few fun facts about common Connecticut wildlife during transitions from winter to spring.

1. Welcoming New Life

Spring is often viewed as a symbol for new beginnings, for growth, and for new life. This can be seen in the regrowth of plants from winter, new flowers blossoming, and, many people’s favorite, baby animals! As the weather starts to warm, you can expect to see and hear signs of new life.

Baby birds also make their way
into the world in spring.

Many common mammals, especially wild herbivores such as deer and rabbits have babies during spring.

Baby rabbits are called kittens, females are called doe, and males are called bucks. Doe are only pregnant for 28-31 days and can give birth to up to 14 babies. Rabbits mature between three and six months of life, so by next spring, all of this year’s kittens will have separated from their mother and will be on their own.

Baby deer, or fawns, are usually born between May and June. They are usually found in meadows during spring and summer months. Mother deer, or doe, usually leave their fawns for long periods of time the first few days. Although this may seem harsh, it’s because fawns don’t have a scent, so it is actually safer for them to lay still alone to hide from predators. Fawns usually stay with their mothers for up to a year, much longer than kittens!

2. Migration Season

Purple martins returning
to their colonies.

The start of spring also marks the beginning of a new migration season. With warmer weather, many bird species start to make their way back to their homes up North. Connecticut is a great place to see birds such as Warblers, Hummingbirds, Purple Martins, and Tree Swallows. Connecticut is also home to birds such as  American Robins, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, and many more. Head over to an Avalonia Trail to enjoy nature and see some beautiful birds. Bring binoculars for the best views and don’t forget to take a moment to listen and enjoy the birdsong!

3. Spring Peepers

Saying hello to a small friend

Birds are not the only species to return for spring. Frogs, such as Spring Peepers also start to come out
more. These little frogs are known for their distinctive chirping. In fact, they have an especially pronounced vocal sac under their chin that looks like a bubble. The endless chripring you often hear at night is actually a spring peeper mating ritual. Males call out to females, who are attracted to the male’s chirping. After mating, females will lay their eggs underwater and wait for them to hatch approximately twelve days later.

4. Welcoming Wildflowers

Beautiful fruit trees bloom under
the spring sun.

After months of only seeing cold, grey outdoors, Spring finally reintroduces color back into our lives. Wildflowers can really help landscapes look more cheerful. From daisies, dandelions, clovers, and chicories, a variety of flowers start to color the ground. Spring is the perfect time for colorful, relaxing walks and taking beautiful pictures. Just remember to bring allergy medicine if pollen bothers you!

5. Saying Hello to Butterflies and Bees

Mourning cloaks are often the first
butterflies to be seen in the spring.

Warmer days and clear weather sure encourage people to go outside, but did you know that bumblebees 
feel the same way? Queen bees are the first to leave their underground hibernation sites in search of flowers to regain strength lost during winter. They search for the first spring flowers to feed on and rebuild their colonies throughout the season.[1] 

Butterflies are one of the most popular signs of spring. Their colorful wings and gentle nature delights people of all ages. Many butterflies emerge from their chrysalis in March or early spring, and some have overwintered as butterflies and hibernated. Most will continue to be active until fall. They usually become active as the day warms in the morning and can often be seen in the afternoon. Although butterflies start to appear in spring, peak butterfly season isn’t until summer, meaning that different kinds of butterflies continue to emerge throughout spring.

 Written by Madeleine Gassin

Sources:

https://www.konnecthq.com/rabbit-facts/

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/10-hopping-fun-rabbit-facts/

https://www.wildrepublic.com/product/fawn/#:~:text=A%20new%20born%20fawn%20weighs,to%20four%20times%20a%20day.

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/facts-about-spring-peepers-24077

https://www.honeybeesuite.com/bumble-bees-hibernate-honey-bees-do-not/#:~:text=Only%20the%20queen%20bumble%20bees,while%20burning%20very%20little%20fuel.

https://www.birdsandblooms.com/gardening/attracting-butterflies/year-round-guide-butterflies/#:~:text=Summer%20is%20peak%20butterfly%20season,to%20see%20throughout%20the%20year.

 

 

Birds and Bees

By Beth Sullivan

People are paying a little more attention to the birds and the bees in recent years. There is a growing awareness of the absolutely critical role they play in so many aspects of our life and economy. Finally even school children are being instructed on the importance of pollinators and are creating gardens and doing citizen science observations of bees and other creatures that are part of this chain of life.

There is greater awareness of the harm pesticides are doing, not just to the harmful insects, but to all insects, including bees. Broad use of herbicides affects not only the targeted invasives, but if used carelessly, they kill beneficial natives and host plants for all species of insects, including our beloved Monarch. Awareness is slowly growing; there are programs and websites and projects dedicated to pollinators, and hopefully more people will understand the connection we all have at the very basic level. It takes a while to make the connection between a pollinator and a hamburger, but these links are being spelled out and kids get it.

A gardener maybe tempted to spray for the aphids, but would also end up harming the monarch caterpillar as well.

The weather

One other factor in this whole process is climate change and the weather. There is an increasing discrepancy and disconnect with the changing seasons. In some places they are warmer too early, and in others remaining cool too long into the spring. It is climate change affecting wildlife and natural cycles. Plants bloom before, or after, their insect pollinators need them. Heavy rains destroy blossoms before pollinators can do their job. Both extreme heat and cold affect bloom time and also health of insect populations. This then affects crop success and fruit and berry production. This will not only affect us, but also the wildlife that depend on these fruits for survival later in the year. Enter the next level of creatures to be affected: the birds.

This has been a very strange spring with so much rain and cooler temps lasting longer through the spring and into summer so far, especially here along the coast. We may not all notice the changes in the bird populations, but as the monitor Mom of a Purple Martin colony, I have witnessed the effects first hand this year. While it is still too early to count my chicks before they hatch, I know we will be far below our other years in terms of success rate. By mid-July, I will have a better idea of our outcomes and will report to all dedicated martin lovers.

Earlier this spring the woods were a banquet of destructive caterpillars for the birds.

One person's weeds may be sustenance for native pollinators. Let them grow.

Kingbirds are flycatchers that rely on insects to satisfy their hungry nestlings.

Tree swallows catch insects on the wing and return to their nests. Photograph by Rick Newton.

Insects are needed too

It is not just the martins though. Think of all the insect-eating birds. Earlier this spring there was a new hatch of leaf-eating caterpillars in swaths of local forestland. These were small and green, not gypsy moths. The migrating warblers settled into the woods and feasted. But after each heavy rainfall, I discovered less activity for a day or so, as possibly the caterpillars were washed off the leaves. During rainy days, flying insects are grounded. Aerial insectivores such as swallows, martins, and flycatchers, were hard pressed to find their flying sustenance. If the adults are weakened, their nest-building efforts will suffer and egg production diminished. As the cold wet weather continues, it has been difficult to find food for those that did have young. I fear nest successes of many birds will be diminished.

Even larger birds, which rely on other food, are having difficulties. Osprey seem to have experienced more nest failures this spring. They catch and eat fish, so that should not actually be affected by weather, but maybe poor visibility at the water’s surface decreased their catch rate. But think of the poor hatchlings left uncovered during these torrential downpours and chillier days, while parents are out trying to find food for them.

The changes in weather patterns affect all levels of life, much like dominoes. Some effects are more visible than others. We can grumble and complain about spoiled plans, but for most of us the weather is not impacting us in an immediate life and death way on a daily basis. Take the time to think through some of the bigger connections and see where they lead. It is sobering.

Osprey eat only fish, but seeing them through rain-disturbed water may be difficult.

Dragonfly eat insects and are also food for Purple Martins.

Your can learn more about birds, insects, and bees at these links:

https://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/how-to-garden-for-bumblebees

https://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/what-a-grocery-store-without-bees-looks-like

https://xerces.org/

Photographs by Beth Sullivan unless otherwise indicated.