There was a sense of urgency in the air on Sunday, March 1, 2020 at “Gardening for the Birds and Bees: Toward a New American Gardening Tradition”, Philipstown Garden Club’s event to launch the Philipstown Pollinator Pathway.  The 100+ capacity crowd at Desmond-Fish Public Library was engaged and attentive as environmental horticulturist, Kim Eierman, outlined threats to pollinators and the extent of invertebrate loss, a whopping 45% in the last 40 years. The natural segue to last year’s compelling lecture, “Gardening in the Age of Climate Change”, which alerted many to the range of challenges faced by pollinators, Eierman once again offered practical, common-sense solutions to get us back to sustainability. 

 

The author of the readable and information-packed “The Pollinator Victory Garden: Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening” pulled no punches as she explained the essentials of pollinators’ requirements for food and habitat, introduced us to the pollinators (who knew beetles were so important?), really got into the weeds of plant selection, and introduced the importance of a “Pathway”. To help jump start Pollinator gardens, the Horticulture Committee had prepared lists of Pollinator-Friendly perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs, area native plant nursery sources, area pollinator gardens to visit, and answered participants’ questions. PGC’s goal in forming the coalition of 12 area conservation and environmental organizations was to create a whole worth more than the sum of its parts. With the Pollinator Pathway organization and Eierman as their muses, the coalition will create a brave new future for Philipstown.