Dover Beach Park is a picturesque retreat with stunning views of the marshes along the Quinnipiac River. With its inviting benches, ample shade, scenic vistas, playground, and splash pad, the park has become a beloved gathering spot for the community—a perfect escape into nature, especially on hot summer days. This summer, longtime dedicated volunteers Christel and Joyce made remarkable progress in stewarding the urban oasis near the bridge and the Children's Butterfly Garden by the playgrounds. They tirelessly removed countless invasive species that had crept in, transforming the newly cleared spaces with vibrant, colorful perennials, and carefully mulching these natural spots to enhance their beauty and vitality. Their hard work has ensured that Dover Beach Park remains a welcoming and lively greenspace for all to enjoy.
It was a beautiful, bright summer morning when I met Christel and Joyce at the butterfly garden. We checked on the coral bells planted last week, added one more, and then watered all the perennials, which looked much happier afterward. Next, we headed to the Urban Oasis area with a few buckets of water. The oak tree and the five agastaches we planted with the Common Ground students were thriving. This week, Christel and I (Yvonne) added three native New England asters, two more agastaches, and some wildflower seeds to the area. Joyce picked up a lot of trash, significantly cleaning up the park. By the end of the workday, Christel and Joyce had also picked up more trash and moved dumped tires from under the bridge to the sidewalk to help distinguish the area. We wrapped up by chatting about their upcoming vacations before bidding each other goodbye. It was lovely working with Christel and Joyce this summer, and I will miss our Thursday morning workdays. Come visit this beautiful park and join in helping to take care of it!
PlantingChristel planting the butterfly weed!
07/25/2024
The morning was a little sticky, but Christel was excited to be out at the park. She was picking up trash along the park as usual when I drove down towards the butterfly garden. As we approached the garden, we were thrilled to see the plants we had planted last week doing very well! Christel mentioned that she had come earlier to water and replant the coneflower that had been dug out during the week. At the butterfly garden, we added two coral bells and a butterfly weed. After that, we mulched the rest of the garden and watered the plants, using water from the splash pad. Christel's husband and a few other community members dropped by and commented on how pretty the butterfly garden was looking. Join us next Thursday at 9 a.m. to plant a few more plants by the urban oasis!
MaintenanceChristel and Joyce identifying a fitch on a tree!
07/18/2024
After the thunderstorms and rain from last night, the weather was much cooler, and the soil looked happy and ready for some plants! This week, Christel, Joyce, and I started to weed, mulch, and plant in our butterfly garden. While weeding and edging the garden, Christel shared her journey to becoming a professor and comforted me, saying, "It's okay to explore and not know exactly what you're going to be up to!" After weeding and cutting back the shrubs, we planted our perennials: a coneflower, a black-eyed Susan, and a butterfly weed. A new volunteer, Jose, joined us and helped shovel mulch into the garden too. We invited him to join us next week, and you should too! Join us next Thursday at 9 am to finish stewarding our butterfly garden!
