Jasmine Gormley
URI Internship Year:
2024
Graduation Year:
2024
Degree:
BS
Jasmine (she/her) is from Boscawen, New Hampshire, and recently completed her BS in Environmental Studies. Even though she comes from a small town, she adores urban ecology and hopes to help inspire a love and understanding of nature wherever she goes. She thinks that beautiful connections with the natural world can be found anywhere, and nowhere is that easier to see than in the land of insects. She spent about a year studying ants and would love to tell you a bug fact, even if all but butterflies give you the creepy-crawlies. Jasmine is excited to spend the summer working with friends of all types, from people to plants. In her spare time, you can find her rock climbing in West Rock, looking for frogs in Edgewood Park, and reading in Rainbow Park.
Group
Hemingway Butterfly Garden: Mariposas del Mundo
Greenspace Log
| Date | Category | Photos | Group | Summary | |
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08/02/2024 |
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The Mariposas del Mundo volunteer group planted 30 native pollinator plants. The new additions include a variety of species, such as geraniums, indigo, and asters, which are vital for supporting local pollinators and increasing biodiversity in the area. |
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07/31/2024 |
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Sylvia planted lots of wildflower plugs and ferns from the Urban Oasis grant funding. The areas that we have been clearing of invasives all summer are ready for even more planting. This forest has a bright future stewarded by caring volunteers and foresters like Sylvia and her group. |
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07/31/2024 |
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The group planted an Osage Orange. Two District employees, Hannah and Dan, have volunteered to water the tree, and named him Oscar Doorhinge Osage Orange. |
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07/30/2024 |
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We had a lovely celebration for our final workday of the summer! We chatted about our accomplishments and enjoyed iced tea, potato salad, and other snacks. We cleared away some debris and did some light weeding, but mostly, we focused on all of the accomplishments of this wonderful group. Paul reflected on all that the group has done over the years, and how much the three trees in the front area have grown. He remembered Mr. Willie, who suggested that they be planted in the spots they stand today. We enjoyed their shade and the cool breeze that blows through the lot. |
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07/30/2024 |
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Our final workday of the season went great! Lots of children helped us beautify the garden beds. We mulched some of the edges that had been played on for close to a year now, and pulled weeds to help our plants grow. The children had a great time and asked lots of questions. |
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07/30/2024 |
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A group from Vox Church came out to learn about invasives and help remove the burning bush from the forest. They were mostly teenagers and loved working together and figuring out the best strategies to remove burning bush. |
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07/26/2024 |
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The Common Ground crew also made significant progress by clearing a path on the other side of the creek, extending it all the way through to the road. This new path will improve accessibility and allow more visitors to enjoy the area, as well as make more room for new plantings on the other side of Hemingway Creek. The dedication and teamwork of the volunteers and the Common Ground crew are vital to the ongoing success of this greenspace. |
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07/24/2024 |
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The Mill River volunteers planted two bayberry bushes. A reporter from the New Haven Independent covered our workday. https://www.newhavenindependent.org/article/volunteers_plant_bayberry_at_urban_oasis |
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07/24/2024 |
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The Common Ground crew planted three viburnums and chatted with some visiting staff from the Green Job Corps staff and Common Ground High School Staff. The crew members reflected on their learning from their past few weeks working in Greenspace sites, on their abilities to cooperate and get things done, and on their hatred for invasive plants. While digging holes for the Viburnums, the crew unearthed lots of artifacts from when this side of the Park was a dumping site in the earlier days of the towns of East Haven and New Haven. |
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07/24/2024 |
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The CGHS crew began rolling out landscaping cloth and stone dust to keep down weeds and solidify the path on the other side of the creek. They made more progress cutting through the jungle-like wall of knotweed, bittersweet, and jewelweed between Eastern and Hemingway streets. |
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07/24/2024 |
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We spent some time weeding and clearing the paths around the wildflower gardens. It is much easier to walk through and enjoy the beautiful flowers and historic staircases. |
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07/23/2024 |
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The crew helped to dig holes and plant two trees to help reforest the areas that we cleared of invasives! Two Eastern Redbuds now stand tall and provide a beautiful transition area between the forest and the daycare. The crew had fun learning more about planting trees, how root systems work, and watering. Tracy took some of the new McLeod tools and cleared overgrown areas around the trails in the forest. Quarry Park becomes more of a safe haven for native plants with each workday. |
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07/23/2024 |
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We cleaned up some trash around the park and discussed possibilities for the park next year. |
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07/23/2024 |
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We spent some time beautifying the last little areas of the greenspace that we missed this summer. We put new bricks into the edges of garden beds and adjusted the placement of some that had become dislodged. Eva and Helen did a great job removing weeds from the peastone area, and Todd pulled lots of knotweed and English ivy. We said goodbye to Junior, who is leaving New Haven next week. We will miss his and his sister's help greatly! |
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07/19/2024 |
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The Common Ground High School crew dedicated an entire day to removing burning bush at Fairmont Park. Throughout their work, they gained valuable knowledge about invasive plants and honed their teamwork skills, becoming highly effective in their removal efforts. |
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07/19/2024 |
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The Mariposas del Mundo volunteer group dedicated their efforts today to maintaining the new garden beds. We pulled knotweed and marked out where new plants will go. |
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07/18/2024 |
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The daycare area is clear of burning bush and ready for planting! It is remarkable how different this patch of forest looks. The Common Ground crew did a great job putting in the last bit of work needed to clean up this space. |
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07/17/2024 |
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The CGHS crew spent all day at the Mill River Trail. They built a support structure in one of the steep areas of the bank so that the group can plant a tree there in the coming weeks. They also picked up trash and removed invasive species. They had fun removing the Japanese Knotweed. They even got to take their lunch break at Bear's Smokehouse and chat with some employees from District, who will be caring for the plants put in along this section of the trail. All of the employees loved seeing young people doing community work and thanked the boys for their contributions. |
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07/11/2024 |
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The Common Ground crew conducted a successful cleanup along the trail, removing litter and tackling invasive mugwort to restore the area's natural beauty and promote ecological health. |
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07/11/2024 |
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The Park received two new McLeods and a new Weed Wrench today thanks to the Urban Oasis grant. We took the tools out for a spin, clearing more burning bush with ease and chopping fresh edges into the trails. |
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07/10/2024 |
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The Common Ground High School crew returned to Fairmont Park to continue their efforts, removing more invasive burning bush. |
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07/10/2024 |
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The Common Ground crew assisted the group by shoveling and removing a large pile of dead knotweed and other invasive plants. They also began cutting a path into the forest, expanding access to the other side of Hemingway Creek. |
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07/10/2024 |
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Mill River Trail volunteers successfully planted two Eastern Red Cedars along the trail, enhancing the natural habitat and supporting local wildlife. |
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07/10/2024 |
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The group planted two young Eastern Red Cedars on one of the banks after we removed invasive plants from the area. These trees are hardy and with the help of the employees of nearby businesses, who have agreed to water them, they will survive well and eventually shade out the invasives. |
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07/09/2024 |
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The back area is now knotweed and ivy-free! The daylilies and other beautiful plants can breathe. Neighborhood kids Chloe and Junior learned lots about bugs and invasive plants, and Paul reflected on all of the opportunities these children will have to learn more about nature and the world. There's even a new picnic table to enjoy! The future is looking bright, especially when you see it from between the hydrangeas and hostas on Orchard Street. |
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07/08/2024 |
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The Trail hosted a mini BioBlitz event. The attendees identified 44 different species in the Urban Oasis section of the trail and checked out their finds under a microscope. |
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07/03/2024 |
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JR and I did some cleaning and removed invasives by the District. We also added a support beam to a young Catalpa tree that had been blown over. |
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07/03/2024 |
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The Common Ground crew spent the day at Fairmont Park diligently removing invasive burning bush. Their hard work contributed to restoring the park's native ecosystem and enhancing its natural beauty. |
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07/03/2024 |
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The Common Ground High School Crew got to try their hand at removing burning bush and greatly enjoyed the cool respite that Quarry Park provides. Freddie, Kymani, Luis, and Terrel are now experts at taking out burning bush of all sizes. |
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07/02/2024 |
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We planted spirea, zebra grass, and coreopsis into the bed farther from the splash pad and mulched around the edges. This bed looks much fuller now, and the height of the zebra grass should keep some of the inner plants from getting trampled. Aa few curious children came over to help after we wheeled over the beautiful plants. We will come back with more mulch, do some more weeding, and finish up this gorgeous bed! |
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07/02/2024 |
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Even with the summer heatwave, the group filled in some bare spots left around the garden beds and did a number on the knotweed encroaching in the back of the lot. We all enjoyed a nice popsicle or two a the end of the scorching workday under the shade of the lot's beautiful trees. |
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06/28/2024 |
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Volunteers watered the plants thoroughly to ensure they remain healthy during the hot summer. Additionally, we used poles and rope to support the milkweed and goldenrod, which had grown so tall that they were starting to flop into the pathways. While working, the group was delighted to spot a painted lady butterfly fluttering among the flowers, along with several large tadpoles in the creek. The dedication and hard work of the volunteers are key to preserving this vibrant greenspace for both wildlife and the community to enjoy. |
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06/27/2024 |
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The group has been making this space feel like home! A few of us tackled some poison ivy removal (very scary) while others continued to take out public enemy #1, burning bush. |
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06/26/2024 |
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The team focused on removing invasive Japanese knotweed along the Mill River Trail. The volunteers worked diligently to clear the dense patches of this aggressive plant. It is much easier to pass through the Urban Oasis area now! |
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06/26/2024 |
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The group cleared more burning bush and took care of the street trees and other trees planted within the park. |
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06/25/2024 |
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It was very hot today, but together, we picked up lots of trash and weeded the beds in the playground. The park is now very clean and the many children around the park got to learn about weeding and invasive plants. The kids took time cooling off in the splash pad when they found it a little too hot and went right back to weeding after. |
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06/25/2024 |
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The group finished up planting in the freshly-weeded beds! The beds had been taken over by English Ivy and other vines, and now they are full of color and blooms. We had the help of a few newer volunteers as well as most of the usual crew. The lot looks great and it is always a wonderful time planting and laughing with the Orchard Street Blockwatch. |
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06/21/2024 |
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The group watered the plantings and did some weeding. |
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06/20/2024 |
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Burning bush begone! This year's chosen patch of the forest looks clearer by the day. What was once a burning bush sea will soon be an open forest floor ready for planting. |
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06/19/2024 |
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The turnout was awesome today! We had a big group that got to work taking out knotweed, mugwort, and other invasives. Lots of catalpas, oaks, and other native trees were unearthed from the knotweed and can now breathe free. There is now a great view to the river along this section of the trail. It was a beautiful day. We had the Ascent Climbing Gym nearby put up some flyers on their bulletin board. |
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06/19/2024 |
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The group worked to clear away more burning bush and drag it to the forest entrance for Parks to take when we are all done. |
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06/18/2024 |
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This group is excited to get more planting and playing done this season! We made plans to fix up some of the garden beds in the playground, which have taken some wear and tear over the last year of playground time. This is a vibrant park full of lots of excited volunteers of all ages. |
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06/18/2024 |
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We planted coral bells, hosta, coreopsis, liriope, daisies, and daylilies! The garden beds look beautiful and we are going to continue pulling invasives and making space for gorgeous new perennials. The regular group was also joined by Breona and her three adorable children, who are expert gardeners already. Paul and I fixed the hose and only got a little bit soaked in the process (but it was welcome on such a hot day, anyway). |
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06/14/2024 |
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A research team from the Connecticut Ag Station was at the greenspace during our workday collecting data on milkweed growth! It is exciting that this greenspace can be not just a community hub but a scientific one as well. The volunteers watered the plants and we worked together to spread stone dust to refresh some pathways. |
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06/13/2024 |
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Tracy and I did some canvassing on Summit Street and got lots of interest. Some folks had backyards bordering the park and didn't even know there were trails! People were excited to have a new place to walk their dogs. |
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06/12/2024 |
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We removed lots of burning bush and young Norway Maples. The weed wrenches were greatly helpful in finally getting rid of some old burning bushes that were starting to resprout. We dragged out some old brush piles too. Just between this and last week, that section of the forest is looking much clearer and is ready for replanting with native trees! |
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06/12/2024 |
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The group met by Grand Paint and repainted some of the wayfinding lines on the sidewalks. We also removed invasives, picked up trash, and pruned areas where the plants were growing into the trail. |
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06/11/2024 |
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We removed weeds from the gravel area by the front garden beds and replaced some spots where it was thin. We also removed trash, knotweed, and garlic mustard. The group picked some places to put in flowers next week and got to work removing vines that had taken over. It looks great! |
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06/07/2024 |
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The group got to work watering, spreading stonedust on the paths, and pulling invasives. Kat and I assessed the survival of last year's perennial plantings and planned for new plants. |
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06/06/2024 |
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We cleared lots of burning bush from the area by the daycare. We uncovered a huge rock! You can really see the before and after. |
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06/05/2024 |
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I met with the group to discuss plans for the summer and focus areas. The group is excited about putting in new flowers! |
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06/05/2024 |
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We spent two hours clearing large areas of knotweed from the riverbank area by District. The view is much clearer now and we had fun swinging weed cutters. |
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06/05/2024 |
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The group did an awesome job with the first workday of the summer! We hauled away several brush piles from previous invasive removal efforts, which Parks will come pick up from the edge of the forest. We also planted 17 seedlings in the cleared understory! The group planted seven white oaks, four chestnut oaks, two red oaks, a hickory, and three black walnuts. |
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06/04/2024 |
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Kat and I walked through the space and she showed me all of the great work they've done to remove invasives, plant native plants, and make it a home for people and pollinators alike. |
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06/03/2024 |
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Tracy and I met and walked through the park to plan for the summer. |
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06/01/2024 |
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Sylvia and I met to make plans for upcoming workdays, for the whole summer, and for the Urban Oasis grant. We walked through the forest and meadow portions of the park together, and she showed me just how much work they have already done to remove invasives and reforest with native species! This is a large park and the group has already done great work. We plan to continue removing invasives (especially Winged Euonymus) and to plant natives including oaks, maples, dogwoods, and hickories. |
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06/01/2024 |
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We went for a walk along the whole trail to identify project and problem areas and to plan for the summer. It is amazing how far this trail has come since JR started. |