We were busy!
Here is a brief look back at some of our projects, initiatives, educational programs and partnerships in 2022:
Parks & Schools
Heritage Park Native Plant Garden, Kosciuszko Park Rock & Butterfly Pollinator Gardens, Chestnut Hill Bird-Friendly & Pollinator Garden, Cove Island Garden, Strawberry Hill School, Villa Maria School, JM Wright Technical School, Westhill High School
Legislative
City of Stamford Blight Ordinance language will now allow residential meadows
Guest Speakers & Events
Jillian Bell, Audubon CT; Jason Munshi-South, Science Café; Sound Waters Fest; Stamford Museum & Nature Center Farm Market; Bartlett Arboretum Honey Harvest Festival; Stamford Land Conservation Trust; Pollinator Week at Designs by Lee
Pledges
We added 94 new residential PPS members and 15 new apartment and condo members. Today 2,092.88 acres of public and private property are part of Pollinator Pathway Stamford.
Read more about our wonderful partners and projects.
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January is a good time to start winter sowing, an easy and fun way to germinate seeds that grow into seedlings ready for planting in the spring. Some seeds require cold, damp conditions to soften hard shells. By planting native seeds in modified jugs and containers, and placing them outside in the winter, you will create miniature greenhouses, partially protecting seeds from the elements.
Materials you will need:
- Translucent plastic milk jug, clear or translucent beverage or salad containers
- Potting mix: avoid garden soil and dirt with added fertilizers or water retaining polymers
- Permanent black marker or grease pencil
- Popsicle stick or plastic plant tags to identify container contents
- Razor or scissors
- Strong tape, like duct tape
Instructions:
- Discard milk jug cap. Make drainage holes in bottom of jug. If candy or salad container, discard lid and make holes in top and bottom of sandwiched containers.
- Draw a line around milk jug below handle, leaving about 1-1.5" space at the handle to act as a hinge. Cut jug at the line, except for hinge. PLEASE BE CAREFUL.
- Fill the base of the milk jug with 3-4" of moistened potting mix.
- Plant seeds at recommended depth on seed packet or see types of plants below. Approximate number of seeds per jug: For milkweed, plant 7 seeds. For all other large seeds plant 2" apart. Small seeds, scatter.
- Tape containers shut, label and place outside. DO NOT pick up by the handle.
- Outdoors: place containers in an area that receives morning to noon sun. DO NOT place under shelter. They need sun and moisture. If there is a dry spell, lift containers to see if lightweight (dry.) If so, place the containers in cookie sheet on the ground, fill it with water and repeat as needed.
Check back in the spring for instructions on how to transplant your new seedlings. Until then, HAPPY WINTER SOWING!
How to winter sow, complete instruction sheet.
Some types of plant seeds you can winter sow:
Sow these seeds 1/4" deep: Asclepias incarnata, Rose Milkweed; Asclepias syriaca, Common Milkweed; Echinacea purpurea, Purple Coneflower
Sow these smaller seeds by sprinkling on the surface and lightly patting down with back of spoon: Verbena bonariensis, Tall Verbena; Agastache foeniculum, Anise Hyssop
Types of plants to winter sow, including plant photos.
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Important Ban on Neonics
PPS will be actively involved with Pollinator Pathway Northeast in the upcoming legislative session in Hartford. We will be advocating for important bills to expand pesticides bans already in place at schools, fields and playgrounds to other public lands, and to further restrict one category of pesticide called neonicotinoids, or neonics.
Neonics cause severe nerve damage and death to beneficial bees.
Neonics the Toxic Truth: The Pesticides Threatening Bees, Birds and Human Health. Watch the recent video from PPNE and the NRDC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auxfUiP4kkw
Pesticide Reform Advocacy Fund. Support Pollinator Pathway Northeast to restrict neonics pesticides.
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What's creeping in around us? Invasive threats.
One of the goals of pollinator pathways, currently in 238 towns, 2 countries, 11 states (and still growing), is to eradicate or control invasive plant species. These species grow and reproduce rapidly, crowding out native plant species and altering the ecological balance on land and in waterways.
In 2023, Pollinator Pathway Stamford will raise awareness about invasive, non-native species that are among the greatest threat to our natural ecosystems.
Photo: Volunteers remove Japanese knotweed, porcelain berry, multiflora rose, mugwort, oriental bittersweet and other invasive species in Chestnut Hill Park, Stamford.
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Would you like to help with our social media a few times a month? Join our steering committee? Sign up to work on future projects with us? Do you have other skills to offer? Get in touch!
PollinatorPathwayStamford@gmail.com
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