Fall gardening event to enhance Waterloo meadow to help next spring's pollinators
The Pollinator Working Group has a series of similar plants planned throughout the city
Fall may not be when people are thinking about pollinators, but a local group is holding gardening events over the next few weekends to help pollinators thrive next spring.
The Pollinator Working Group's first event of four was at Waterloo's Bechtel Park on Sept. 14. They worked to add wildflowers to an existing meadow.
"Our spaces aren't always populated with the variety of plants that could be useful for all the pollinators we have," explained Michelle Stevens, chair organizer of the group.
There's lots of goldenrod currently in the area, but Stevens says that's not always the most beneficial plant for the pollinators.
"Nectar is what attracts the different bugs to the flowers but the pollen is what will stick to their bodies and be transferred around to pollinate the rest of the flowers," she said.
"It's a symbiotic relationship in that the pollinators get fed, but the plants also get disseminated around and pollinated."
Bees, wasps, moths, butterflies and even hummingbirds are classified as different types of pollinators.
That's why nine-year-old Maggie MacLaren said it was important for her to be there.
"I like planting things for butterflies so they can get nectar and pollinate," she said.
MacLaren was even donning a pair of butterfly earrings to the event.
"They're real monarch wings," she explained.
Combating climate change
For some of the other participants, trying to make a visible impact was what brought them out to the plant.
Amelia Upper, an environmental studies student at the University of Waterloo, said in school, they learn a lot about the systems at work and why climate change is unfolding the way it is.
"Climate resilience is a really good way to deal with the scary things in the world, in a way that's tangible and meaningful," Upper said.
"One of the ways that combats paralyzing fear for the future is having things to do that are community-based, like getting to touch the dirt."
It was a sentiment echoed by Amara Johnston, who is a friend of Upper in the same program.
"I love the hands-on aspect of gardening," they said.
"A lot of the stuff we learn in class can be really, really heavy and it's really great to complement the environmental sustainability justice stuff we learn in class with hands-on action that make you feel better."
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An eco-friendly future
The Pollinator Working Group has more planting events planned:
- Sept. 21 at Rim Park Bike Park.
- Sept. 28 at Laurelwood Park.
- Oct. 5 at Waterloo Park.
The initiative aims to establish healthy habitats for pollinators and similar events happened in Kitchener earlier this year.
Tim Taylor was at Waterloo's Bechtel Park plant and it wasn't the first time getting his hands dirty.
"I've done this particular dig a couple times throughout the city of Waterloo. We also have our own neighbourhood pollinator garden," he said, adding he's also part of another group building a pollinator garden near a regional road.
Taylor adds events like these are important to the survival of biodiversity.
"Pollinator plants are fantastic for mitigating the impacts of climate change because they sequester carbon," he said.
While dozens showed up to make an impact in their community, Johnston says it also acts as a great social opportunity.
"I love chatting with other people here because everyone love's plants and loves gardening. Especially with native planting, everyone understands the importance of native flowers," they said.
Taylor agreed.
"People are chatting, people are getting to know each other," Taylor said. "It's a fun community event and you're doing something for your community."
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