4 minute read
Saying YES to Nature
New Transfer Beach Pollinator Gardens:
It Takes a Community to Raise a Garden
BY PAMELA WALKER AND NIKKI TOXOPEUS
It all started in January, when the director of Parks, Recreation and Culture at the Town of Ladysmith asked a local group if they would be able to use a BC Hydro Community Regreening grant for their projects. Then a few interested volunteers from Yellow Point Ecological Society (YES), Nanaimo Area Land Trust (NALT), Broombusters and Friends of Holland Creek got together over a cup of coffee and decided to support the grant application and take this opportunity to create a native plant garden.
In April, the Municipality got the grant, and Bob Simpson, Ladysmith Parks Supervisor Operations, offered us the two sunny beds next to the Kinsmen Hut in Transfer Beach Park. He also offered to get the beds ready for the fall planting, and so we got going in earnest.
With the help of the native plant community, we designed two beds — the Bird Shrubbery and the Butterfly Meadow — using native plants that are drought tolerant and will thrive in the full sun. We sourced plants from several local nurseries that were able to supply an amazing diversity of plants suited to our bioregion. We went to Satinflowers, NALT Native Plant nursery, On the Patio, SunnyGlades and Streamside. They were all great and delivered everything we asked for. Then, on October 9, the community came out to plant over 400 plants of over 50 species and scattered thousands of native plant seeds.
The Bird Shrubbery will attract birds with berry-bearing shrubs like the tall Oregon grape, red-flowering currant, blue elderberry, snowberry, gummy gooseberry and saskatoon. The hummingbirds that already frequent this area will appreciate the early spring flowers of these shrubs.
The Butterfly Meadow around the oak tree is for all pollinators and includes many Garry oak meadow species to support the butterflies. The loss of Garry oak meadow is one of the causes of our declining butterfly population. We planted 10 species of native grasses and sedges that make up about half the plants in the meadow and are hosts for butterflies. To this, we added camas, shooting stars, chocolate lilies, nodding onions, spring gold, red columbine and many more flowering plants and ground cover, like strawberries and stone crops, to delight butterflies and humans alike.
Our hope is that all the birds, bees, parasitic wasps, and crawly things will flourish in the gardens, and that all the people who come to visit will learn about the plants and will duplicate the process at their homes and businesses.
Birds and bees require “highways” — continuous food routes — so they can flitter and flutter here and there on a trajectory from one garden to the next. Hedgerows help, as do yards filled with a diverse array of native foods, rather than a monocrop of mowed grass. Collectively, we can create these vital highways! And then just maybe the red-listed species, like the Propertius duskywing butterfly, will make a comeback and find refuge in our backyard meadows.
Come on down to Transfer Beach, enjoy the Bird Shrubbery and the Butterfly Meadow, and get involved. We need ongoing community support to keep the gardens well cared for and are looking forward to future community projects to add painted lady butterflies and Hul’qumi’num plant names to the beds. Also, watch for the interpretive signs, with links to more information on the YES website.
We would like to thank the Town of Ladysmith, BC Hydro and all the volunteers for the huge effort to make this happen. The enthusiasm and support have been heartwarming.
We would also like to thank the Stzu’uminus people for being good stewards of the flora and fauna of our area over the course of many millennia.
