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Keep Planting

Many thanks to all who have participated in the start up of the Guilford Pollinator Pathway [May 16 story “Talking ’Bout the Birds, and the Bees, and the Flowers, and the Trees”]. We have hopscotched a corridor of pollinator-friendly gardens, from the shoreline up to Durham, within one-half mile of each other, which is what is needed for the wellbeing of bees. Also the Town of Guilford has agreed to protect an established stand of milkweed at the top on Mulberry Point Road on property that abuts land trust property. Milkweed is the only food and host plant for the endangered monarch butterfly, and this habitat has been steadily declining.

Guilford is indeed blessed with a substantial number of lakes, streams, two rivers, and protected open land that creates fly-ways for birds and suitable undisturbed habitat for nesting bees. Native plants abound here. Oak trees alone are host to 530 different varieties of caterpillars for birds to feed their offspring.

So thanks again to all pollinator-friendly gardeners, and I encourage everyone to register online at pollinator-pathway.org, where volunteers are maintaining a state database of gardens—and to keep planting the important early and late flowers.

Jean Waters

Guilford