The garden at the WAE (Wellness, Arts & Enrichment) Center is both: a place of hustle and bustle and of slow growth and discovery. This summer has been particularly exciting with the addition of 500 pollinator plants that we were given by the Xerces Society.
These “Habitat Kits” are gifted with intention – “Habitat Kits provide diverse, thriving pollinator plants to support local groups and community initiatives for whom plant access is often a barrier. Urban and residential areas have enormous potential to support abundant beneficial insect communities—including our beloved pollinators who are so crucial to ensuring our food supply and the health of our plant communities, which in turn provide soil stabilization, watershed management, and mitigate urban heat islands. By providing a diversity of flowering plants, protection from pesticides, and nesting and overwintering sites, we can make a real difference in the survival and resilience of these pollinator species on whom we so depend.”
Tuesday, August 6, during Horticulture Class, our participants rescued 3 frogs that were found onsite. Jennifer, our Horticulture facilitator shared a lesson about our amphibian friends. We will release the frogs into the swamp near our facility.
Veggies have been harvested, rocks painted, and everyone has had individual and group experiences in this compact natural habitat. The garden provides inspiration, education, respite and connection to the natural world!