Bloomfield Environmental Community

Watsessing Park Pollinator Festival!!

The Friends of Watsessing Park Conservancy will be hosting their annual Pollinator Festival today, Sunday July 19th from 9am to 1pm at the Watsessing Park Butterfly Garden near Glenwood and Maolis Avenues.

Enjoy a garden tour and learn how to help pollinators and birds with native plants! Fun activities for kids!

(Note: Due to a schedule conflict with the rescheduled Pollinator Fesitval, Rich Rockwell will be unable to host the "What's Growing in Your Own Backyard?" presentation at 10am.

PLEASE PUT OUT WATER FOR WILDLIFE!

We're headed into a dangerous heat wave over the next few days with temperatures expected to hit 100 degrees or more. As bad as it will be for us humans, it will also be distressing and harmful for the birds and animals that live in our neighborhoods.

Please help our wild friends by putting out a shallow bowl or saucer of fresh water. A shallow saucer is best because birds won't use deep bowls. The saucer should be placed on the ground so it's accessible to all animals. Put some small stones in the saucer for the beneficial insects in your yard - they need to drink too! And be sure to change the water every day and wash the saucer regularly to keep it clean.

See the comments for examples of things you can use to put out water for wildlife.

Thanks for caring about our wild neighbors!

Here’s a note from Monarch Watch about the importance of citizen science and reporting our observations of monarch butterflies to Journey North.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DnHGpGiaj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Spring is approaching, and monarch butterflies are beginning their spring migration from their overwintering sites. You can help track the journeys of these incredible travelers by reporting your observations this spring to Journey North. Every sighting you share - whether sightings of monarch butterflies, eggs, larvae, or even milkweed plants - contributes to understanding monarch migration dynamics.

Learn more and submit your sightings at https://journeynorth.org/

📸 A note on this picture: This monarch butterfly on a young milkweed plant was observed in the springtime around Monarch Watch in a prior year. Many of the monarch butterflies that migrate from their overwintering sites in spring will tend to look a lot more worn because they've spent many months migrating, overwintering, and journeying back north. They've had a long journey! Photo credit: Linda Kunkle Park.