Library

from page 4A

— so there will be a lighthearted read picked for you by a librarian, and then there’ll be a whole bunch of little freebies in there, like … a little motivational journey in there, a fun little magnet, things like that.”

Other areas of interest for patrons include one-on-one technology tutoring, which is offered by appointment, and a “cut the cord” program for those who want to get rid of cable.

Another potential valuable resource that the library offers for some residents is a service in which items can be delivered to homes.

“That’s one of the other services that we have tried to heavily promote in the new year,” Tobin said.

Along with many institutions and places of business, the pandemic had a major impact on libraries.

The West Bloomfield library was seeing a lot fewer people go through its doors at the

Seeds

from page 17A aren’t going to be cut flowers like you see from a florist. They’re sustainable, drought tolerant, deer tolerant and pollinator friendly. They aren’t necessarily going to be a neat little row of flowers. It’s more of a wild vibe.”

Amber Quesenberry, a homeschool mom of four and board member of the Rochester Pollinators, planted her first pollinator garden in 2020 from a plan in the Rochester Pollinators brochure. Since then, the Quesenberrys have planted over 1,100 plants in their front yard, which they’ve neatly curated to display that native plant gardens can still be manicured. With help from Mulberry Hill Wildlife, Quesenberry worked to redesign her yard to target different species. Now her yard is home to a bird-friendly garden, a bumblebee garden and a butterfly garden.

Quesenberry contacted Marilyn Trent, the founder of the Rochester Pollinators, a few years back when her children became fascinated by pollinator conservation. Trent is an entrepreneur with a passion for ecology and wildlife preservation. Trent started the Rochester Pollinators in 2019 with the intention of educating and providing resources to preserve the Monarch butterfly and pollinator population.

The Rochester Pollinators work to spread awareness and engage local communities in planting Michigan native plants in public and privately owned landscapes. Some of their outreaches include their annual native plant sale, where they sell a variety of native plants that can be selected by light, soil and moisture needs. Orders can be placed online at https:// rochesterpollinators.org and picked up on May height of it, but with more people feeling comfortable enough to venture out, Russ has noticed a difference in foot traffic as of late.

“We’re seeing about, probably, on an average, just under 1,800 people a day, which is pretty significant, considering back in pandemic days we maybe had 50,” she said. “People are definitely coming back. People are using the study rooms, people are using the resources, and I think another thing that’s a good indicator is people are coming back to the in-person programs.”

Prior to coming to West Bloomfield, Russ served as the director of the Troy Public Library.

She shared what her observations have been after being on the job for more than two years.

“What I had observed before I came here has proven to be true, and that is that the community loves its library and values and supports it,” Russ said. “It’s such a supportive community. … I just really appreciate the kindness of this community (and) the support of this community. It’s rare to see such universal support.”

20 or 27 at the Downtown Rochester Farmers Market.

The Rochester Pollinators have a seed library at Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve for those wishing to start from seeds. They offer native seeds such as purple coneflower, blackeyed Susans and milkweed varieties. Contrary to common belief, wild plants can be grown in deep containers for those with limited yard space; the Rochester Pollinators provide more information on how to do this successfully under their “Resources” section.

Quesenberry has donated many of the seeds she’s saved from her own gardens.

“We shouldn’t have to convince people that these are gorgeous plants to put in your yard. Some of them have the most beautifully intricate blooms and stunning leaf patterns. Because we live here, we should be seeing these native plants everywhere. Yet, you can’t really find them at garden centers.”

She advises new gardeners to throw out everything they’ve learned about gardening and not to take themselves too seriously, as gardening is a fun experiment of trial and error.

“It’s all about changing what we think is beautiful and recognizing that our Michigan natives are just as beautiful as the other nursery plants and give back so much more to your garden landscape,” Quesenberry said. “I had to get really excited about finding holes in leaves because these plants are meant to be eaten. It’s a shift in what we thought gardening was. We’re not gardening for ourselves anymore. We’re gardening for nature.”

To learn more about seed libraries, visit miseedlibrary.org, and for gardening resources, visit hwww.smallhousefarm.com.

Call Staff Writer Kathryn Pentiuk at (586) 498-1070.