Montclair Pollinator Garden: A Boost For Local Bees, Birds, Bats

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Summer is over, but that doesn’t mean the gardening is done, Montclair. On Saturday, Sept. 16, the Montclair Environmental Commission (MEC) will host a dedication ceremony at 3 p.m. for a “Pollinator Garden” at Watchung Park that will provide nectar and pollen for bees, birds, butterflies and bats that live the area.

The project – which began last October – is the result of more than 80 hours of good, old-fashioned hard work from its members, Montclair Garden club members, citizen volunteers and a local youth group, the MEC told Patch.

Working together, they built the raised beds, prepared the soil, purchased the plants and building materials, planted, watered and weeded. The result? A thriving garden of native, deer resistant plants, that will provide nectar and pollen for bees, birds, butterflies and bats.

The garden was funded through grants from Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions and the Montclair Garden Club.

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The public ceremony on Sept. 16 will include a family-friendly presentation featuring short scientific explanations and appropriately themed music performances of Flight of the Bumble Bee (Rimski-Korsakov), Blackbird (Beatles), Butterfly (Mariah Carey) and Bat Out Of Hell (Meatloaf).

Presenters and Master Gardeners will be on hand afterwards to answer questions from the audience and the mobile farm stand truck will be parked nearby for fresh produce purchases.

If inclement weather forces a cancellation a notification will be posted on the MEC website: mtcenv.org. The Montclair Environmental Commission meets monthly at 7:30 p.m. at town hall on the second Wednesday of the month; meetings are open to the public.

• See related article: Butterfly Garden Brings Bloomfield Neighbors Together
• See related article: This Bumblebee Once Flourished In New Jersey, Now It’s Endangered

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: MEC