Cranford Environmental Commission Awarded Open Space Grant

            The volunteers of the Cranford Environmental Commission (CEC) applied for an Open Space Grant from Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). ANJEC awarded a grant to CEC in June 2022 in order to purchase plants, mulch, a sign, and some supplies for the pollinator garden. In Fall 2022, the location for the garden was designated for Lincoln Park by the Township. In May 2023, volunteers planted native seedlings, shrubs, and flowers. With help of volunteers and the Township the growing plants were watered over the hot summer to provide a strong start. The plants flourished all summer and autumn. The garden provided shelter for invertebrates over the winter. Volunteers will clean and weed the garden every spring and summer. Hopefully visitors will enjoy the viewing the garden and pollinators. Thank you for your visit to the garden and this website. Have a “bee”autiful day!

Garden of Native Plants is good for Pollinators.

            This pollinator garden is a grouping of plants that are native to the Northeast U.S. These plants are highly attractive food sources for adult pollinators, like bees and butterflies. The plants also support caterpillars of butterflies and moths; serve as nesting material or sites for certain bees; provide pollen for bees with specialized pollen needs; and feed beneficial predators and parasitoids that contribute to pest control. Examples of predators are ladybird beetles (“ladybugs”), lacewings and spiders. Parasitoids are parasites that kill their hosts by their feeding activities. Examples of parasitoids of landscape pests are parasitic wasps and tachinid fly.

Native plants, which are adapted to local soils and climates, are usually the best sources of food and shelter for native pollinators. Incorporating native wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, grasses, and more into any landscape helps a diversity of wildlife, and also provides benefits to soil, water, and air quality. Additionally, most native plants can flourish in poor soils and require minimal irrigation.

Pollinators are Essential to our Environment - Bring back the Pollinators.

            The ecological service pollinators provide is necessary for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species. The United States alone grows more than 100 crops that either need or benefit from pollinators, and the economic value of these native pollinators is estimated at $3 billion per year in the U.S. Beyond agriculture, pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25% of all birds, and of mammals ranging from red-backed voles to grizzly bears.

Unfortunately, in many places, the essential service of pollination is at risk from habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduced diseases. To learn more about how to bring back the pollinators, see the references listed below.

References:

Pollinator Conservation Program | Xerces Society

For a native plant list for the Northeast, visit: Native Plants for Pollinators & Beneficial Insects: Northeast (xerces.org)

Visit plants.usda.gov to determine if a species is native in your area.

https://plant-pest-advisory.rutgers.edu/common-backyard-beneficials/

https://hunterdon.njaes.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Pollinator-Predator-Parasitoid.pdf

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/new-jersey/new-jersey-pollinators

ANJEC – Local Environment Matters