Wellington Park - Gardening, MonarchFest, and More...

[Ann]

Greetings Friends and Neighbors!

Wasn’t that a fabulous rain? 2.5” at my house. The gardens are very happy!

GARDENING - This Tuesday 5:00 - 7:00

We haven’t done much tending to the gardens at the park lately, and it shows. Come help us tidy up the gardens this TUES 5:00 - 7:00. No experience necessary, bring tools if you have them, if not we’ll supply. Gloves, pruners, shovel, wheelbarrow, etc. Hope to see you then! If you’d like to help but that’s not a good time, please reply with a time that works better for you, we’ll likely be scheduling another gardening time soon and we’d love to have your help.

MONARCHFEST - Saturday 9:00 - 11:30

Join us for the 5th annual MonarchFest at Wellington Park THIS SATURDAY 9/13, 9:00 - 11:30

More Info >> HERE <<

• Live Monarch Encounters: See monarchs up close in every stage of their life cycle – from tiny eggs and munching caterpillars to fascinating chrysalises and newly emerged adult butterflies. We’ll even be releasing some!
• Butterfly Garden Tours: Explore Wellington Park’s beautiful gardens, featuring native milkweed and other pollinator-friendly plants crucial for monarch survival.
• Kids’ Zone: Enjoy a variety of butterfly-themed games, activities, arts & crafts, and coloring sheets, all courtesy of the Newton Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department.
• Milkweed Exchange: Bring your extra native milkweed seeds, plants, or seed pods to share! Please label your contributions by type (e.g., Common Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed). We’ll provide planting instructions and guidelines.
• Expert Insights: Meet local monarch experts who maintain official Monarch Waystations and raise monarchs for educational purposes. Learn their tips for attracting these pollinators to your own garden.
• Meet the Artist: See the giant painted monarch butterfly created by artist Jenn Houle for Newton Cultural Development’s Flutter Project. Jenn will be on-site, discussing her work and passion for promoting monarch habitats through art.
• Prize Drawings: Registered attendees will have a chance to win exciting butterfly-related prizes

INVASIVE BLACK SWALLOWWORT VINE - Get It Out!

In her recent newsletter the Mayor asked residents to please remove any Invasive black swallowwort growing in your yard. It is EVERYWHERE in Newton so take a look around. It is a non-native cousin of milkweed on which monarchs mistakenly lay their eggs, but the caterpillars can’t eat it so they can’t grow into new butterflies. Here are some pictures of the plants, roots and seed pods that I just collected at Wellington Park. If you don’t have time to dig up the plants and their roots, at least cut the stems and remove the seedpods to prevent seeds from growing additional plants in your and your neighbors yards next year. Learn more from Newton Conservators  >> HERE <<

    

Below are a few pictures of what’s in bloom now.

See you at the park soon!

Ann and the Wellington Park Gardening Group

dorfm...@comcast.net

617-413-4901

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Snow-on-the-mountain Euphorbia marginal (native annual)

Autumn Joy Sedum (non-native)

Rose of Sharon (non native)

Sawtooth Sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus (native)

Canada Goldenrod Solidago canadensis (native)

Morning-glory (non-native)