Volunteers Bring Fanwood Gardens to Life
Borough of Fanwood
The beauty of nature is helped along in a big way by volunteers in Fanwood, specifically members of the Fanwood Environmental Commission and helpers who’ve been planting, weeding and watering gardens around Borough Hall.
“The Pollinator Garden provides the basic food source for our native pollinators,” explained Sandy Redder, Environmental Commission member. “Bees, moths, butterflies, even birds, like hummingbirds.”
The Pollinator Garden, located directly in front of Borough Hall, is the work of Ms. Redder and other volunteers who planted specific species, most native to New Jersey. It also acts as a four-season garden, providing winter homes for native bees and wasps.
Other projects by volunteers include the monarch butterfly garden under the flagpoles in front of Borough Hall, the new garden surrounding the Carriage House, once overrun by English ivy, and the entrance to Carriage House Park on Watson Road, recently refreshed with new paint and plantings. The key to the Monarch butterfly garden is milkweed.
“Milkweed is the host plant for the Monarch butterfly,” said Ms. Redder. “It’s the place where they lay their eggs and where they hatch.” There are at least two kinds of milkweed in the Monarch garden, along with other perennials.
While not yet on the endangered species list, Monarch butterflies are becoming rarer due to several factors, most man-made, contributing to the destruction of milkweed and natural habitats.
The volunteers who’ve made all this possible are: Environmental Commission members Sandy Redder, Margaret Chowdhury, Eric Gaulin and his daughter Katelyn; Carol Hartner, Sally and Howard Drewes, Karen Ruffner, Cherri and Peter Worthington, The Hayes Family (Allison, John and Maggie), Patty Weinstock and Joan Pagano. Thanks to everyone for your time and green thumbs.
