Hilltown Land Trust | Gardening for Pollinators, Together

What’s a community to do when pollinator habitat is in decline? Get together and act!

Framed by tall goldenrod, Elena and Lori examine a plant with a long, dark purple bloom. — Co-instructor Elena Zachary and participant Lori examine the blooms of obedient plant, *Physostegia virginiana*.

This September, a group of 12 gardeners gathered at Wing and a Prayer Nursery in Cummington to design their own pollinator havens. Guided by nursery owner Amy Pulley and landscape designer Elena Zachary, the group toured the lushly planted gardens of the nursery before sitting down to craft plant lists and planting layouts.

Framed by more goldenrod, 9 people can be seen from head to knees standing and listening in a group. — This large field is home to a fall display of asters, goldenrods, and more.

Amy, arms outstretched enthusiastically, talks about plants to a group of onlookers holding notebooks and pens. — Taking a look at hypericum and little bluestem.

A small green, yellow, and black caterpillar sits on a shiny green spicebush leaf, which Amy's hands have rolled back to reveal the critter. — Taking a look at hypericum and little bluestem.

The group provided hope for a widespread investment in pollinator biomass sustainability and expansion.
Owen Zaret, participant

Participants’ garden plans ranged from a downtown Northampton courtyard to a sprawling Hilltown homestead. Across age and interests, group members found common ground in their determination to create and maintain spaces for insects threatened by habitat loss and climate change.

A wide shot of the whole group sitting underneath the pavilion at picnic tables. In the foreground, four people seated at the table are looking at notebooks and planting plans while Elena, standing, talks with them. — Books, planting calendars, and plenty of graph paper help gardeners plan their pollinator havens.

“Attending this with my child gave them the lived experience of the value of native plants and pollinators in our ecosystems,” said participant Owen Zaret of Easthampton, who attended the workshop with his teen child Alex. “I think it imparted on a member of their generation the importance of this work and practice. I’m excited to see my own pollinator spaces grow and foster important invertebrates and local ecology.”

A zoomed-in image of Alex and Owen working on a drawing together while seated at a table. — Alex, left, and Owen, right, work on a pollinator garden plan for their space in Easthampton.

Alice stands behind a table filled with pots and plates of food, including a plate filled with tomato slices and edible flowers. — The group enjoyed lunch from Alice’s Kitchen, prepared right at the homestead.

For workshop co-leader Amy, pollinator education is a lifelong project. For 40 years, Amy gardened organically at Honey Hill Homestead, where she and her wife Alice Cozzolino have built their home, the nursery, and Alice’s food business, Alice’s Kitchen.

I believe we can make a difference if enough of us take the time.
Amy Pulley, workshop co-leader

Amy’s concern about pollinator decline led her to found Wing and a Prayer Nursery nine years ago. She now offers over 200 species of organically grown, seed-propagated native plant species specifically chosen to serve the needs of pollinators.

“My goal is to educate pollinator advocates and to support and encourage every scale of habitat project, from yard gardens to neighborhood corridors to larger restoration projects,” says Amy. “I believe we can make a difference if enough of us take the time to educate ourselves and learn from each other, and act on what we know.”

Amy leans over the table to talk with Jen and Lori, who are taking notes at a picnic table. — Jen, left, of Worthington, and Lori, right, of Plainfield, take notes on a planting list with Amy’s guidance.

As a land trust, HLT helps conserve and care for pollinator habitat across the Hilltowns.

“Land conservation is about all beings who have a relationship with the land, including the insects who rely on abundant and diverse native plant life to thrive,” says HLT Executive Director Sally Loomis. “Workshops like these help us connect people who care about land stewardship with resources to make pollinator-friendly spaces a reality, in the Hilltowns and everywhere.”