There’s a new garden on the Brock Trail and it was only partially planned with people in mind.
The Brockville and District Horticultural Society (BDHS) have created a pollinator garden on the new section of the Brock Trail that runs between St. Lawrence Park and Church Street. Mary Ann Van Berlo, the President of the BDHS, says pollinators are essential to food production and in recent years the number of pollinators has declined, partially due to loss of habitat. This project is intended to educate the public on the importance of pollinators and encourage them to increase pollinator presence in their own garden.
The BDHS says there are two ways to increase pollinator presence. Gardeners can either plant growing plants that are a source of nectar or host plants where pollinators lay their eggs and their larva feed. Some of the plants that pack the new garden are; asters, cone flower, milkweed, yarrow, mullein, beardtongue, poppies, parsley and dill. Representatives from the BDHS think bees, moths, butterflies, flies and beetles are some of the pollinators the garden will attract. The garden also features a few rocks for bugs to sun themselves and a shallow dish of water.
The BDHS notes that, along with donations of plants and labour by society members, this project was made possible with the help of the City of Brockville, Northern Cables, Lafarge Canada Inc. and Tim Allen’s Tree Services.
