To the Editor:
Allen’s Meadow is a special place to me. It’s where my kids and I romped around, it’s where I’ve been leading birdwatching trips for many years, it’s where the bizarre American Woodcock performs its crepuscular display in March, and it’s where I have a community garden plot. It’s also where in 2020 I embarked on a Town-approved habitat restoration project aimed at eradicating 3/4-acre of a non-native invasive weed called mugwort and replacing it with a native pollinator meadow. I’m thrilled to say that now, five years later and with the community’s generous support, what used to be the monoculture of mugwort is on its way to becoming a beautiful and flourishing meadow with over 40 species of native flowering plants and grasses providing critical food and habitat for our native pollinators and wildlife. Just see the before and after photos!
In this next Phase Two of the project, I would like to plant up to 25 native berry-producing shrubs around parts of the meadow’s perimeter. The shrubs I’ll be choosing are host plants to a number of butterflies and moths, provide nectar for 1,000’s of native insects, and perhaps even more importantly, provide a critical source of food (i.e. the berries) for birds during their fall migration. The project is sponsored by the Norwalk River Watershed Association, and this Phase Two has been approved by Sustainable CT’s Community Match Fund program — meaning that if we hit our fundraising goal of $4,100 your donations will be matched dollar for dollar by a grant from Sustainable CT!
Jeff Lapnow, president of Bolton Landscape Design and Masonry, will be sourcing the shrubs and has generously offered to deliver and plant them gratis. This clearly shows Jeff’s commitment to environmental stewardship, and to our community. Thank you Jeff.
Please visit the project webpage to read the continuing story of this successful habitat transformation and consider donating in support of this effort, which will benefit our birds, native pollinators, environment and community we live in. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you think may be interested in helping us help them.
With thanks,
Joe Bear