2023 Report for Beaver Ponds Park

Year

2023

Number of volunteers

5

Total volunteer hours

46

Number of events

9

Number of shrubs planted

1

Enter more details about shrubs planted

groundsel (Baccharis halimifolia)

Number of perennials planted

10

Enter more details about perennials planted

sedum, Achillea, x ‘Moonshine’yarrow, black-eyed Susan, purple coneflower, New England aster (2), New York ironweed (Vernonia novaboracensis), swamp sunflower, golden alexanders (2)

Yards mulch spread

1.00

Summary

With the tireless efforts of a small group of core volunteers, the Beaver Ponds Urban Oasis is a stunning showcase of native plants, especially pollinator species. When the bee balm is in bloom, the oasis is awash with pale purple flowers and bumblebees. This summer, we focused largely on stewardship activities such as cutting back the vegetation that had overtaken the trails, freeing trees and shrubs of invasive bittersweet and honeysuckle vines, and pulling out other invasive plants such as mugwort, phragmites, and multiflora rose. Lastly, we created a small garden in front of the deer fence, where we planted a variety of native perennial flowers such as goldenrod, gloriosa daisy, and coneflower. We mowed the grasses and weeds down, mulched the area, planted the flowers, and framed the beds with log slabs. This space is truly an oasis a breath of fresh air in the New Haven landscape