Annabelle Brothers
URI Internship Year:
2026
Graduation Year:
2027
Degree:
BA
Annabelle is a rising senior at Yale pursuing a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with certificates in Climate Science and Solutions and Spanish. Annabelle grew up on Martha's Vineyard and is passionate about community development, community-based climate adaptation, and urban planning. She is excited to work with the New Haven community and learn from some of the city's community leaders as a Greenspace intern. In her free time, Annabelle enjoys playing guitar and ultimate frisbee, hiking, swimming, and coffee.
Group
West River Watershed Coalition
Hemingway Butterfly Garden: Mariposas del Mundo
Greenspace Log
| Date | Category | Photos | Group | Summary | |
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08/01/2026 |
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For our last workday, Friends of Kimberly Field worked on some more weeding, pruning, mulching, and path maintenance in the greenspace. We also enjoyed some lemon squares as we debriefed and chatted about all the wonderful work the group has been able to accomplish this summer! |
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08/01/2026 |
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For our last workday of the 2026 greenspace season, the group finished up some stewardship in the Washington Ave. pocket park! We weeded and spread mulch along the right side of the park. We also planted 3 black-eyed susans that were donated by a neighbor! |
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07/31/2026 |
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For our final workday, Friends of Quinnipiac River Park did some stewardship on all the additions they added to the park this summer (weeding, watering, and mulching). They also added 26 perrenials in the pollinator garden extension that were donated to the group (3 false sunflower, 3 yarrow, 6 black eyed Susan, 3 sweet william, 2 coneflower, 2 coreopsis, 3 tickseed, 1 chickory, 2 anise/cilantro/dill, and 1 musk mallow). Finally, the group enjoyed a potluck celebration in the park for the end of the URI program! The group will continue working on their project through the end of september. |
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07/31/2026 |
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This week at Mariposas del Mundo we had a chill workday to end the 2026 greenspace season! We mostly worked on weeding and maintaining the paths. At the end, we celebrated the great season with some sodas and lemon squares! |
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07/30/2026 |
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For our last workday at the Urban Oasis, the group worked in the swale to remove phragmites, purple loosetrife, and willow trees to promote the healthy growth of our native plants! We also planted two swamp rose-mallow in the swale. We ended the workday with some lemon squares that I brought to celebrate another successful season at the urban oasis! |
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07/28/2026 |
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For our last workday of the season, West River Watershed Coalition started off with some stewardship around North Place Garden, watering and weeding. The group also planted 6 kobold gayfeather liatris (2 in the raised bed and 4 to the left of the entrance). Ron also donated and planted 1 Joe pye weed, 7 wild bergamont, 1 bronze fennel, 3 coreopsis, and 3 sedum. Finally, the group brought some treats to share and we had a small garden party celebration for all the work accomplished this summer! The group will continue to meet on Tuesdays at 9 to steward their greenspaces by watering and weeding through the fall. |
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07/25/2026 |
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This week, the group continued stewarding Washington Ave. We picked up trash, weeded and mulched the beds closest to the house. The group also installed new wood edging boards! |
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07/24/2026 |
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Friends of Quinnipiac River Park had their last planting day this week! They planted 5 truffle cardinal flower, 10 blue-eyed grass, 12 cardinal flower, and 10 great blue lobelia. Additionally, the group continued to weed and mulch both the original and new pollinator garden! |
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07/24/2026 |
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This week the group added 14 new plants to Mariposas del Mundo. The group planted 2 ostrich fern, 5 Christmas fern, 5 purple rain Jacob's ladder, and 2 little bluestem grass. With the remaining time during this workday, the group did some weeding around the paths. |
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07/23/2026 |
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This week, Friends of Kimberly Field met to plant in the shady garden! After some hard work weeding and mulching, the group identified the space as one that could use more plants. The group planted 5 phlox, 3 liatris, and 4 coral bells to compliment the hostas that were already in the bed! |
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07/23/2026 |
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This week at the urban oasis, the group started by putting down new wood board edging around the front garden and mulching. The group then moved on to stewardship in the meadow and tackling garlic mustard in the shady areas with cardboard and mulch. Finally, we planted 2 New York asters donated by Joan! |
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07/21/2026 |
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This week the group got to plant in the new pollinator garden. They planted 19 perennials (6 butterfly weed, 1 liatris, 5 tickseed, 4 agastache, 3 amsonia) in the raised bed and also planted some donated plants in the center greenspace beds (10 coneflower, 1 columbine, 2 common evening-primrose, 2 black eyed susan, 3 lupine). Additionally, the group did some stewardship in the triangle garden, weeding and laying down a fresh layer of mulch! |
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07/18/2026 |
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This week, the group finished weeding and mulching the greenspace beds! They moved a lot of mulch to make it happen. The group also dug in some new borders that really bring the space together. |
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07/18/2026 |
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This week, the group did some more stewardship in the Washington Ave. pocket park. We continued to weed, prune, and mulch! |
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07/17/2026 |
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This week the group continued adding plants to the new pollinator garden! The group planted 45 perrenials (10 blue-eyed grass, 6 blue wood aster, 4 red bee balm, 11 common yarrow, 4 seasonal goldenrod, 3 golden alexander, 4 NY ironweed, 3 joe pye weed). We also continued stewardship by weeding, watering, and mulching! |
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07/17/2026 |
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This week at Mariposas del Mundo, the group focused on stewardship in the butterfly garden. We watered and cut back some grass heads and did weeding at the front of the garden in preparation for some planting next week! We also saw some beautiful Monarch butterflies enjoying the coneflowers this week. |
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07/16/2026 |
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This week the group installed 3 more deer fence, after finding some deer scat in the urban oasis. We also planted 6 perrenials (2 Red Yarrow, 1 Liatris, 1 Great Blue Lobelia, 1 Cardinal Flower, and 1 Swamp Rose-Mallow). Patience, from US Fish & Wildlife also joined us and was able to help out! |
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07/14/2026 |
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This was a big week for the group! We finished the mulch path through the new greenspace, spread a delivery of top soil for the new pollinator garden, and added a stone bench. We were also happy to see some new bird-friends using their new bird bath on this hot summer day! |
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07/11/2026 |
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This week, the group continued weeding and mulching the garden beds! |
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07/11/2026 |
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This week Nikki and I watered the garden beds and worked on some pruning! We also continued with weeding and mulching. |
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07/10/2026 |
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This week, Friends of Quinnipiac River Park continued making progress on the new pollinator garden, planting a total of 37 perrenials. The group planted 12 Liatris, 11 Swamp Milkweed, 8 Butterfly Weed, 6 Boneset. After planting, the group mulched the finished areas of the bed and watered! |
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07/10/2026 |
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With all the rain at the beginning of the week, the group was able to dedicate a lot of time to other stewardship activities. The group accomplished a lot of weeding and maintenance of the paths, making it easier to navigate and enjoy the beautiful butterfly gardens. |
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07/09/2026 |
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This week at the urban oasis, the group continued stewardship. The group worked on maintaining the meadow and removed burning bush. We also cut back vines along the deer fence and prepared some spaces for planting next week! |
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07/07/2026 |
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The new greenspace is really starting to come together! This week, we continued creating a mulch path through the greenspace and prepared a space for a new raised bed along Marginal Drive. The group also planted 2 Agastache, 2 Black Eyed Susan, and 6 Milkweed that were donated by Ron. Finally, we added a new birdbath to the area! |
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07/03/2026 |
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During the July break, some volunteers of Friends of Quinnipiac Park met to water the pollinator gardens and add some donated plants to the pollinator garden extension. The group planted 4 puple bee balm, 1 dwarf butterfly bush, and 1 lavender. |
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06/27/2026 |
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Today we finished weeding, mulching, and edging the center bed. The group continued weeding the side beds and began mulching. |
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06/26/2026 |
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This week the group planted 45 more perrenials in the new pollinator garden and original pollinator garden. The group planted 2 Snow Hill Sage, 6 Amsonia, 3 Blue Wood Aster, 2 New York Asters, 2 Northern Evening, 1 Native Yarrow, 2 Great Blue Lobelias, 1 White Cardinal Flower, 2 Swamp Milkweeds, 2 Gallardia/Indian Blanket Flower, and 20 more milkweed. Additionally, the group finished prepping another corner of the new pollinator garden, laid new borders on the original pollinator garden, and put up a temporary fence to protect the new pollinator garden from the Fourth of July crowds. |
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06/26/2026 |
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With the rain this week, we were able to focus our efforts on weeding!! The group did a lot of work pulling grasses and invasives in the front shady gardens. The milkweed is doing well and the butterfly weed is in full bloom! |
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06/25/2026 |
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This week we continued stewarding the Beaver Ponds Urban Oasis. We were back in the swale this week, cutting back Phragmites and marking Cattails. We also planted a coneflower and watered some of the younger plants. |
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06/23/2026 |
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This week the group planted a serviceberry, a chokeberry, and an inkberry and began laying down a path around the new greenspace! The group made a lot of progress, carrying, leveling, and spreading woodchips and cleaning up the curb to make the space more welcoming. |
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06/20/2026 |
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This week we watered all of the beds and worked on maintaining the sunny pollinator garden bed. We turfed some grass that started to grow into the bed, used the scuffle hoe, and hand-pulled the bed, making some good progress! |
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06/20/2026 |
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This week, we watered the plants, and continued weeding the beds. We focused on the center bed this week by weeding with the scuffle hoe and edging before mulching. It was fun to learn new stewardship strategies and apply them in this greenspace! |
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06/19/2026 |
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This week we continued to do some stewardship around Mariposas del Mundo. We watered and did weeding around the paths. We also planted 2 more Elderberry and 6 Cardinal flowers (A powerduo for outcompeting knotweed)! At the end of the workday, the group discussed long-term goals for the greenspace. |
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06/19/2026 |
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This week the group continued to make progress on planting the new pollinator garden. The group worked hard to turf and prep the new bed. Additionally, the group planted 26 plants from URI and 28 donated plants, including 5 White Wood Asters, 5 Native Columbine, 3 Bee Balm, 5 Husker Red Penstemon, 3 Snow Hill Salvia, and 3 Royal Candles Veronica, 9 Red Cardinal Flowers, 1 White Cardinal Flower, and 20 Milkweed. |
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06/18/2026 |
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This week we did some repairs on the deer fence with 3 new posts. We also planted a corepopsis and added a barrier (made of dried multiflora rose) to discourage animals from digging it up. We finished by watering some young plants! |
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06/16/2026 |
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The group watered the triangle garden and continued clearing the new greenspace and removing invasives. We planted Elderberry and Pussy Willow and made a design for the greenspace! |
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06/13/2026 |
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We finished weeding 2 beds and mulched them both! We also weeded the path and picked up trash around the greenspace. |
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06/13/2026 |
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Nikki and I worked together in the pocket park, removing Mugwort and Sticky weed from the shrubs! |
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06/12/2026 |
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This week, Friends of Quinnipiac Park made headway in the new pollinator garden, planting 37 perrenials! The group planted 12 yarrows, 6 New York Aster, 5 snowhill sage, 5 Blue Ice Amsonia, 3 Joe Pye Weed, 3 Cardinal Flower, and 3 Bee Balm. The group is excited to keep up the hard work and reach their goal of planting 250 perrenials by the end of the summer! |
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06/12/2026 |
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It was very hot this week! We planted 2 elderberries by the creek, did some weeding in the shade, and watered! Kat brought the group some electrolytes which were much needed in the heat. |
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06/11/2026 |
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Joan worked on widening the paths through the urban oasis, giving us more room to walk through and enjoy the space! Nan, Kim, and I worked in the trench in front of the urban oasis, cutting down the willow trees, pulling up mugwort, and multiflora rose. |
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06/09/2026 |
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We started the workday off watering the triangle garden. We were sad to see that five of our plants have been stolen. We then moved on to our new greenspace and got a lot of work done, preparing the area to start building our plant beds next week! We cutting back nasty invasives like mugwort, wineberry, and multiflora rose. We were happy to see how much work we were able to accomplish in the new greenspace in just over an hour. |
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06/06/2026 |
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We had a planning meeting to discuss plans for outreach and maintaining and expanding the gardens this summer! We also did some stewardship in the existing beds with some weeding and pruning. |
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06/05/2026 |
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This workday we did more planning for the new pollinator garden we will be planting this summer! We also did maintenance on the existing pollinator garden and bird paradise, focusing on weeding, edging, and mulching the beds. |
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06/05/2026 |
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We accomplished a lot this workday! We watered, as usual, and Marty accidentally caught a small eel in his water bucket before releasing it back into the creek. We also weeded the mugwort from the wild strawberry patch and planted a male inkberry and male winterberry! |
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06/04/2026 |
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For our first workday this summer, we were able to do some repairs on the deer fence and begin stewardship! We mostly focused on removing invasives vines from shrubs and trees. |
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06/04/2026 |
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Nikki and I met and had a planning meeting! We discussed the group's vision for maintaining this pocket park and how to enhance the space even more for the community around Washinton Ave. |
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06/02/2026 |
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For our first official workday of the season, Kathie, Bev, Ron and I did stewardship and maintenance around the Triangle Garden. The group weeded and watered the plants from last year. We were pleased to see how well the garden is doing in its second year! |
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05/29/2026 |
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To kick off the summer, Friends of Quinnipiac River Park met for a planning meeting and a walk around the park. The group is enthusiastic about their plans for beautifying the park this summer! |
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05/29/2026 |
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To start of the summer season, Kat, Eugene, and I sat down for a planning meeting. The group has many wonderful ideas for how to improve the already beautful Mariposas del Mundo. Marty and Peter later joined us to water, weed, and pick up trash. We were able to take out a lot of knotweed which has grown abundantly this spring. Later, a family rescued a turtle that was in the parking lot across the street. The kids brought it back to the safety of the creek! |
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05/28/2026 |
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Nan and Joan led us on a guided walk through the beautiful Beaver Ponds Park Urban Oasis, pointing out the diverse array of native pollinator plants. We are excited to continuing stewarding and maintaining this true oasis throughout the summer! |
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05/28/2026 |
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To kick off the season, Ron, Kathie, and Bev met me at West River Memorial Park for a planning meeting! Entering their second year with URI, the group has an exciting vision for this season. In addition to maintaining the group's lush Triangle Garden, planted last year, the group identified an overgrown clearing on the corner of Marginal Drive and Orlando Street that they hope to begin stewarding. The group has a big vision, hoping to transform the opening into a beautiful, welcoming greenspace for the neighborhood to enjoy. They hope their work will encourage the West Haven community to explore the adjacent West River trails! |