Butterfly Garden Brings Bloomfield Neighbors Together

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — An effort to help protect the habitat of the Monarch butterfly has brought neighbors together in Bloomfield. That’s the effect that the new public garden at Watsessing Park is already having on the community.

Now bring on the butterflies.

The Watsessing Park Butterfly Garden, which is located near the lawn bowling club along Glenwood Avenue, is part of an ongoing effort by the Friends of Watsessing Park Conservancy to enhance and promote the park's value as an ecological and educational resource, the group told Patch.

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Its origin dates back to last spring, when a New Jersey Department of Forestry grant provided several hundred trees and bushes, which dozens of local volunteers planted in the Bloomfield and East Orange sections of the park.

This summer, while the recently planted “whips” grew, conservancy board member Rich Moseson and his wife, Susan, donated several swamp milkweed plants taken from their backyard garden, a National Wildlife Federation-certified habitat.

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Once county permission was secured, six conservancy volunteers helped dig up the grass and plant the new garden. Additional conservancy members have since pitched in to help with daily watering, which will be needed until the plants become well-established in their new home, the group stated.

Plants now in the garden include: swamp milkweed (on which monarch butterflies lay their eggs and on which monarch caterpillars feed until ready for their metamorphosis into butterflies), butterfly bush, sedum, lavender, aster and helenium, all of which attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators to their flowers.

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According to the conservancy, all of the above plants will bloom in summer and fall; spring-bloomers will be added next year in an effort to have has many plants in bloom as possible throughout the year.

Here’s how the garden will ultimately help the Monarch butterfly, the group says:

“The garden provides food and habitat for butterflies and other desirable insects; a place for monarch caterpillars to feed and grow, and some added beauty for the park. Monarch butterflies in particular have been suffering habitat loss along their traditional migration paths, and such organizations as Monarch Watch (monarchwatch.org) encourage people, groups and schools to plant butterfly gardens to help replace some of the lost natural habitat.”

• See related article: Montclair ‘Demonstration Garden’ Gets Enthusiastic Support From Community
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Photo: Christine Sherrill