New HCT pollinator garden creates habitat for vulnerable butterflies

Attention butterflies: A new hotspot for nectar-sipping and egg-laying is opening in the heart of Harwich Port at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve.

Our fluttering friends can thank Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) volunteers, who recently planted a pollinator garden near the trailhead. The effort was spearheaded by longtime volunteers Karen and Gerry Beetham, with the goal of providing habitat to vulnerable butterflies, including monarchs, swallowtails and skippers.

The new garden will greet visitors as they arrive at the Cold Brook Preserve, where a recently completed eco-restoration project transformed a retired cranberry bog into a wildlife oasis.

The project included the rewilding of a mile of stream, native planting, the creation of four ponds and the construction of a half-mile wheelchair accessible All Persons Trail, allowing people of all abilities and ages to experience the beauty of nature.

Harwich Conservation Trust volunteers install a pollinator garden at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich Port. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

Native plants for native pollinators

Planting day at the pollinator garden was a merry affair, as a stalwart band of HCT volunteers unloaded plants in the parking lot, then conferred with Karen Beetham about proper placement. Once the plants had reached their destination, the digging began and the plants settled into their new homes.

Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) volunteer Gerry Beetham (left) and Connor O’Brien, HCT’s Director of Land Stewardship, tote plants to the new pollinator garden at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

Approximately 200 plants hit the dirt, including butterfly weed, little bluestem, swamp milkweed, cardinal flower and white turtlehead. “They’re all native plants for native butterflies,” said Karen Beetham. “They’re adapted to the region and they are low maintenance. Native pollinators need native plants, so if you don’t have the right plants, you’re not going to get the butterflies.”

Once the plants are established, an elegant system is created. Flowers will provide nutritious nectar for visiting butterflies. They will lay eggs on the plants, and when caterpillars emerge, the little crawlers will nosh on the plant.

The plants were sourced from the Native Plant Trust, a Massachusetts-based non-profit plant conservation organization that focuses on New England’s native plants. The trust operates a well-known native plant botanic garden in Framingham, a nursery in Whately and several sanctuaries around New England.

“What’s really nice about the Native Plant Trust is they source seeds locally and that includes seeds from Barnstable County,” said Connor O’Brien, HCT’s Director of Land Stewardship.

Watering program will help plants thrive

Regular watering is the key to getting the plants established, said O’Brien. Plans call for valiant HCT volunteers to take up the hose at least twice a week for the first year or so, to provide the water that the plants will need to succeed. At that point, they will be self-sustaining. “Once we have them established, they’re good on their own,” said O’Brien.

Harwich Conservation Trust summer intern Lucy Palmer digs in a plant at the new pollinator garden at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

The can-do cheer of the work party seemed to add good karma to the entire enterprise. “I love the sense of camaraderie and that everybody here is like-minded and focused on the same thing: to help improve the habitat for the butterflies,” said Lucy Palmer, HCT’s summer intern. “With climate change and development, habitat for native plants is being reduced. Implementing habitats like this is really important to help species thrive.”

Palmer, a rising sophomore at the University of Vermont, is studying wildlife biology and ecological landscape horticulture. With spade in hand, she was getting the chance to put classroom theory into practice. “I think it’s important to participate in community events like this to bring people together to improve our ecosystem,” she said.

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