Buzz on Pollinators: 15 trees planted on heritage trail

If you walk along the Upper Canada Heritage Trail, you will have noticed a lot of activity as of late with the installation of trees and hay along the trail. Protect our Pollinators was formed in November 2022 with the vision of bringing awareness to the decline of pollinating insects such as native bees, honeybees, moths, hummingbirds and butterflies. This small group of volunteers have been creating pollinator awareness ever since through these regular articles. The group’s secondary objective was to create a pollinator corridor through town. Now that vision has begun to manifest with the creation of large pollinator habitats along the Heritage Trail.

Last Friday, 15 pollinator-friendly trees were planted along the first section of the trail from John to Paffard Street. These flowering trees, once established, will provide pollen and nectar for a large variety of pollinating insects, as well as habitat for caterpillars to develop into moths and butterflies. These trees have been specifically chosen for the needs of native bees and pollinators. Next, other scrubs and native flowers will be planted in the pollinator beds that are being prepared along the pathway, and together they will create a complete ecosystem.

You will see strips of hay have been laid out in several areas to prepare the beds for the native plants that will soon be installed there. The hay has been placed in a thick mat to smother the invasive plants beneath. When it rains the hay will pack down and provide compost and will hold the moisture in the soil for the plants to grow.

Please bear with us during this process as we know it is unsightly at this point, it takes time to prepare the beds before they will be suitable for planting. The volunteers from the pollinator planting group will be monitoring and watering these new trees and plants with the help of the town.

We would like to thank the many people that have participated in this process which includes: the planning and executing of this project, the clean-up of the underbrush, and the coordination with the town and the Heritage Trail committee. Most importantly, we would like to thank the Goettler Family Foundation for their generous donation that made this all possible.

This is an ongoing project so be sure to walk the trail regularly to see it begin to grow.