Copy
View this email in your browser

FEBRUARY 2024


SOGGY STAMFORD
How to Make Your Yard
More Flood/Drought Resilient  
 
Native plants, grasses, shrubs and trees have deep roots that draw water deep into the soil, which minimize flooding, make them drought resistant, reduce soil erosion, filter pollutants and help increase rainwater infiltration. 

By contrast, lawns may increase stormwater runoff. Take a look at the far left illustration of Kentucky Blue Grass. The shallow roots are ineffective for drawing surface water beneath the soil.

Help mitigate flood and drought on your property. Add natives, shrink turf grass areas. 


BOOST BUTTERFLIES
Attract winged pollinators
Butterflies are not as efficient as bees in moving pollen between plants, but they do help with pollination. While sipping nectar from flowers, pollen dusts the butterfly's body. This pollen dust is transported to the next flower it visits, aiding in plant reproduction. 
 
FEATURED BUTTERFLY OF THE MONTH: SPRING AZURE



 
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon), shown here, is commonly found in woods near wet spots along paths. It is one of the first butterflies to appear in the spring. 

Flight Time: Early March to late June.

Larval Host Plant: When they are in the larval, or caterpillar, stage they can be found on these host plants: Maple-leaved Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), Arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum), and other Viburnum, Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), and Dogwood (Cornus).

Adult Food Source: Nectar from a variety of plants.

To protect Spring Azures, plant native flowers and the trees mentioned above. Also keep leaf litter to cover the overwintering butterflies in their chrysalis stage. 
 

Life cycle of moths and butterflies:  
Egg - hatches into tiny caterpillars, or larvae, on a host plant,
Caterpillar (larvae) - feeds on leaves of host plant and then hangs upside down to form chrysalis,
Chrysalis (pupa) - undergoes metamorphosis to emerge as butterfly,
Butterfly (adult) - lays eggs on the host plant and looks for food source from nectar, sap, rotting fruit, etc.
 


WINTER TOOL MAINTENANCE
Clean and sharpen tools for spring  
 
Learn how to care for garden tools in the University of Connecticut Home & Garden Education Center newsletter.



Photo credit: Marie Woodward
 


 INVASIVE VINES IN WINTER 
Easy to spot on trees and shrubs
 
Winter is a good time to tackle invasive species removal. For large, established vines make two cuts, one near the base and the other about 2-3 feet off the ground. Never pull the vine down from the tree because you risk pulling a dead branch down with it.

Do not compost. Throw away in the trash.
 

HE HAS A NAME!
 
See if you can spot the newly named snake "Sly" at Kosciuszko Park's pollinator garden. Garter snakes are pollinators! They disperse seeds after swallowing rodents with seeds tucked in their cheeks. 
The ABCs of Pollination

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamens of a plant to the stigma of the same or another plant. As a result of pollination (fertilization) the plants produce seeds. Pollen can be dispersed by insects, bats, birds, wind and water. 

One third of our food relies on pollination (apples, cherries, pumpkins, blueberries, cabbage, etc.)

BEE CONNECTED
Join Pollinator Pathway Stamford and add your property to the map.
Take the pledge to help bees and other pollinators.
 
Facebook
Website
Instagram
Copyright © 2024 Pollinator Pathway Stamford, All rights reserved.


Our web address is:
https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/stamford

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.