As you step from your car on to the parking lot, pause for a moment to look at the beautiful landscaping around our church building and parking lot. The plants that fill these beds are native to our area while also being more drought resistant. The same is true for the plantings in front of our Resurrection Garden. Our Care of Creation Team is expanding our gardens by developing new pollinator gardens in three areas behind the church. Pollinator gardens are important because they provide food and shelter to animals, such as bees, birds, butterflies, and moths. Pollinators are in decline mainly due to habitat loss and pesticides. We hope that by developing these gardens, we can do our part to help them survive and thrive.
Jack’s Garden, built in 2018 in memory of Jack Stueber, who loved gardening and caring for our church property, is located at the entrance to the preschool nature preserve. It suffered visibly due to the big ice storm and drought, as well as neglect during the COVID shut-down. We installed berms to prevent erosion and conserve water, and we planted drought-tolerant native trees as recommended by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
On October 22, eleven members spread blue bonnet, milkweed, and other wildflower seeds in Jack’s Garden and along the sides of the meadow leading down to the water retention pond. Blue bonnets will add a splash of beauty to the hillside in the Spring while adding much needed nitrogen to the soil. The bees use these flowers in their pollinating activities. The milkweed plants will attract Monarch butterflies specifically and support them during their migrations. The other wildflowers will attract different species of butterflies. We are hopeful that these gardens will continue to support the preservation of life in God’s creation.
We have also begun to restore Sabrina’s garden and will continue that process in the Spring, gradually extending the plantings throughout the parking lot island.
The Care of Creation Team meets on the 4th Saturdays at 1:30pm. New folks are always welcome to join the team. Check the calendar for more events such as this one in our “Walk in the Woods” series. For more pictures of our lovely campus & grounds, click HERE.