Hanwen Zhang
URI Internship Year:
2022
Graduation Year:
2024
Hanwen is a rising junior at Yale’s Franklin college interested in forestry, environmental justice, and conservation. He likes long walks and maple trees and all things plants. He can’t wait for the chance to help local communities with their projects and learn from them this summer.
Group
Hemingway Butterfly Garden: Mariposas del Mundo
Greenspace Log
| Date | Category | Photos | Group | Summary | |
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08/06/2022 |
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And that's a wrap! Volunteers at Shelton Avenue finished off an amazing planting season with a great afternoon of mulching. Thanks so much to everyone who helped out this season, in ways both big and small! |
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08/06/2022 |
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It's hard to think of a faster--or more productive--summer! Time flew as quickly as the mulch on our tarps. Volunteers at Monitor Square finished up this season with a good round of mulching and hearty dose of water for each of our trees. Thank you so much to all who helped this season! The fun doesn't end, though--come again any time throughout the year! |
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08/04/2022 |
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Volunteers at Quarry Park finished off the season with maintenance work along the park entrance. We mulched and watered our plantings before taking a hike through the trail to admire all of this summer's fantastic work! We still have so much left to do, but we're amazed at our progress! Thanks to everyone who joined to help make this the beautiful community space we know it can be. |
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08/02/2022 |
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This morning, volunteers groomed the trail by the skate park, watered trees, and tended to our newly-planted conifer trees! All told, we've planted 15 new trees this summer, cleared invasives, and tidied up the mid bridge--none of which could have been possible without the dozens upon dozens of hands who helped each week! Thanks for an amazing summer season! |
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07/30/2022 |
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The plants were thirsty this morning! We watered the trees, picked up trash, mulched the tree pits, and continued weeding. Come visit Monitor Square next week for another great work session! |
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07/30/2022 |
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Volunteers at Shelton Avenue finished off this year's planting season with a truckload of perennials! We made space in our flowerbeds for Black-eyed Susans, amsonia, speedwell, and daylilies, and they sure look happy to be here! Come again next Saturday for our final work session and celebration! |
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07/29/2022 |
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Another great afternoon of work! We watered our plants and welcomed 5 butterfly weed and 5 plethora along the cleared creek bank. Volunteers at the Hemingway Butterfly Garden have worked tirelessly all summer to make this site a home for pollinators of all shapes and sizes, and they couldn't have done a better job! |
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07/28/2022 |
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Work is steadily coming to a close! We put up the final touches to our Russell Street entrance by spreading mulch around the flowerbeds and watering! Come join us at 3:30 next Thursday for our end-of-season celebration! |
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07/26/2022 |
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Volunteers at Edgewood Park showed up at 8:00 this morning and began digging along the vernal pool--by 10:00 they had finished mulching the last tree pit. Two hours, two white cedars (and a bald cypress)...suffice it to say they have their tree-planting routine nailed! |
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07/23/2022 |
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We welcomed another Saturday morning in the best way possible--mulching, weeding, and watering! Volunteers cleaned up trash, cleared up the tree pits along Derby Avenue, and finished the day with ample watering. The five yards of mulch are going almost as fast as this summer! |
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07/22/2022 |
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One small swing for the weed cutter, one giant leap for the butterflies! Working alongside Common Ground high schoolers, volunteers at the Hemingway Butterfly Garden finally cleared the last of the knotweed! Now, an even greater challenge: making sure that they stay down! |
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07/21/2022 |
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The weather report called for stifling heat and threats of thunderstorms, but the afternoon at Quarry Park proved otherwise! Volunteers filled the flowerbeds by the Russell Street entrance with foamflower and aster, and when we set our shovels down, we saw what a difference inkberries and witch-hazels can make! |
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07/20/2022 |
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We survived! Volunteers at the Mitchell Library braved the mid-afternoon heat to finish off the last of the mulch. The hostas, shade garden, and dogwood are looking great! |
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07/19/2022 |
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Thanks so much to everyone who showed up this morning! We joined Youth at Work volunteers to trim nine bark, prune river birch, and pave wood chips around the mid bridge garden. The park is looking great! |
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07/16/2022 |
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With a truckload of perennials, we had our work cut out for us today. Between slices of watermelon, volunteers helped plant 3 hakonechloas, 3 coral bells, 3 hostas, and a fern in the left flowerbed of the lot--the site is truly coming into shape! As always, come down to 102 Shelton every Saturday afternoon and join us! |
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07/16/2022 |
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Monitor Square owes its charm and beauty to these volunteers! Today, we weeded the central flowerbed and continued mulching the nearby tree beds. In one of the driest--and strangest--summers on record, we also made sure to give our plants some extra water. Caring for our green spaces is a labor of love but also a job that never stops. |
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07/15/2022 |
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Huge thanks to all the Common Ground volunteers who helped us clear knotweed today. For the first time, we can finally see across the other side of the creek! Not only that, we watered and planted a handful of new friends (pussy willows, inkberry, phlox, and agastache). On an afternoon that couldn't have been better, we finished our work with a celebration of cake and pizza! |
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07/14/2022 |
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Quite the successful afternoon! Volunteers at Quarry Park planted bee balm near the park entrance, picked up trash, tugged away at the burning bush, and continued mulching the trail. Next week: planting witch hazel and inkberries by the rocks! |
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07/13/2022 |
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Although it was one of the hottest afternoons this summer, volunteers at the Mitchell library worked hard to mulch around the trees and flowerbeds! |
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07/12/2022 |
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Lots of trees means lots of watering! Today, volunteers at Edgewood Park tended to their 8 newly-planted trees while clearing invasives from the park midbridge area! |
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07/02/2022 |
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Under partly cloudy skies, we weeded and mulched the flowerbed at the corner of Monitor Square this morning! The space is looking really great! |
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07/02/2022 |
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What a way to finish off the week! Volunteers at Shelton Avenue planted coral bells, Black-eyed Susans, day lilies, and a rhododendron! Next up: some hostas, echinaceas, and daisies! |
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07/01/2022 |
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Huge thanks to all the volunteers who showed up this afternoon! We headed into the Fourth of July break on a strong note, planting 3 agastaches and phlox on top of our watering and continued work with the knotweed! |
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06/30/2022 |
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Volunteers at Quarry Park continued work on the trail but made just as deep an inroad in planting! This afternoon, we planted 4 bee balms, 2 spice bushes, and 2 lovely penstemons! The entrance is looking great! |
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06/28/2022 |
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Trees, trees, and more trees! With the help of all the eager arms who carried the water, dug holes, and cut burlap, we were able to plant two new stellar pink dogwoods by the mid bridge area in the park! Thanks to the volunteers from the Christ Presbyterian Church for working with us this morning! |
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06/25/2022 |
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Despite the heat, we continued work on our left flowerbed by introducing a Black-eyed Susan! Our hydrangea has taken a hit, but we added compost and watered it well! |
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06/24/2022 |
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We continued making strong headway this afternoon! Volunteers cleared knotweed along the creek bank, picked up trash, and weeded the perennial flowerbeds in preparation for next month's plantings! |
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06/23/2022 |
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The maintenance work never stops! After Parks delivered wood chips, we went right to work laying it out around the entrance. Volunteers cleared burning bush, laid cardboard, and helped beautify the Russell Street park entrance! |
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06/22/2022 |
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Today, Kate and Bob Bradley mulched the flowerbeds and trees around Mitchell library! Their dedication to Beecher Park is untiring, and it's amazing to see what a difference 1 1/2 yards of mulch can make! |
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06/21/2022 |
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Three more trees! This morning, we said hello to a beautiful bald cypress, hackberry, and willow oak! We can't wait to watch them flourish in the decades to come! |
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06/18/2022 |
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Volunteers at Monitor Square got together for a solid morning of weeding and mulching! |
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06/17/2022 |
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The knotweed are back--but so are we! Another productive maintenance day is in the books as we watered perennials and cleared invasives along the creek bank. |
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06/16/2022 |
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Today was filled with just a bit of everything--we cleared some poison ivy by the park entrance, planted an inkberry shrub, picked some trash, and removed bittersweet further along the trail! Come visit us every Thursday from 3:30-5:30 to just talk, weed, and plant! |
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06/14/2022 |
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We broke ground this morning! Planting our first three trees of the season, we welcomed a lovely Northern pecan, bald cypress, and chestnut oak to our park mid bridge area! 3 down, 9 more to go! Join us next week 9:00 for more tree planting! |
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06/11/2022 |
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Today was our first (official) planting! We planted our very own winter creeper shrub and started mulching--of course, while keeping up with the weeding! |
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06/11/2022 |
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Today was the first day of work at Monitor Square! The war with weeds never ends, but our dedicated volunteers showed up and had a productive mulching session! We will be meeting every Saturday morning from 8 to 10, so please come over and join us! |
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06/10/2022 |
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Volunteers at the Butterfly Garden have been hard at work throughout the week. Today they had a relaxed maintenance session as they hacked away knotweed and weeded the perennial flowerbeds! |
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06/09/2022 |
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Solid progress made! We continued clearing invasives, had a swing at the poison ivy near the park entrance, and started laying down the beginnings of our trail! Catch us next week at this time carting mulch! |
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06/07/2022 |
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The Friends of Edgewood park is used to productive Tuesday mornings, and this one was no different! This crew of dedicated volunteers came ready to tackle the aggressive invasives by the park's mid-bridge area--though there was knotweed that had returned after last week's rain, they stood no chance! |
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06/04/2022 |
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A beautiful afternoon--perfect for weeding! The session started off with clearing mugwort and wild grasses by the chain-link fence and ended with an unexpected (but pleasantly surprising) dogwood tree planting. Chunks of watermelon and iced tea to fill the hours in between! |
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06/03/2022 |
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So begins the butterfly garden's third summer of planting! The volunteers are hard at work clearing knotweed by the creek, weeding the garden paths, watering perennials, and mulching the space by the park benches. It was a beautiful evening, and there was no better way to start off the exciting work this year. |
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06/03/2022 |
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Kate and Bob Bradley showed Hanwen around the vicinity of Beecher Park, where community members have planted hundreds of beautiful perennials and dozens of trees! This site is a gem in the Westville neighborhood but, like all things, it still needs lots of love to maintain! |
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06/02/2022 |
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Tracy, Jane, and Jean gave a walking tour of Quarry Park, pointing out all the spaces where invasives had taken over, beech trees were dying, and nearby neighbors had started encroaching into. Quarry Park has been battling quite a few problems--neglect, disease, and littering--but it is a beautiful space with great promise! |