What's the buzz?
One of the restoration projects in the works at Prairie Moraine County Park is a pollinator garden meant to attract butterflies, birds, and bees.
In the fall of 2019, volunteers cleared invasive plant species and weeds from a triangular section formed by a convergence of trails atop a hill near the entrance of the dog park (pictured at left). Measuring roughly 50 feet on each side, this site is anchored by an oak tree and highbush cranberry, with a patch of Solomon's Seal already present.
Volunteers will plant a variety of native flowers in this space in spring 2020. A grant through the Dane County Environmental Council will fund live plants, a bilingual interpretive sign and its mounting frame, and plant identification signage.
A similar pollinator garden developed with the Friends of Capital Springs Recreation Area is flourishing at another Dane County Park, adjacent to the Lussier Family Heritage Center. (The sign pictured above is from their garden.) The area has been so successful in attracting migratory pollinators that MonarchWatch.org designated it as a Monarch Way Station.
Stay tuned on the progress of the garden and other park projects!