As we spring forward into lawn and garden season, many of us are looking for more ways to invite birds, butterflies and other pollinators into our yards. The Warwick Valley Plant Natives Alliance is pleased to announce a Plant Natives Fair, to be held from 12:30 to 2:30 PM on April 6th, 2024, in the Community Room at The Albert Wisner Public Library.
The fair is free and open to native plant enthusiasts at all skill levels, from beginners to experts. Participants will meet Warwick volunteer groups that are expanding the use of native plants throughout town. Presentations will showcase several projects scheduled for this spring, including plans for:
● The Warwick Valley Gardeners’ Railroad Green Garden and its Pine Island Butterfly Garden in the Pine Island Town Park
● Creating a new pollinator meadow in Transformation Trails at Wickham Woodlands, starting by smothering weeds with a layer of fabric
● Cultivating perennial native vegetables in the Greenwood Lake Community Garden
● Orange Environment’s installation of native plant gardens throughout our communities that are designed to bloom throughout the growing season
There will also be discussion groups to crowdsource ideas from the audience members as well as field questions about home plantings.
Please join us! Bring your family and friends to the inaugural Plant Natives Fair����. For event details, email Sally Greco (pollinators@sustainablewarwick.org). What is the Warwick Valley Plant Natives Alliance? Check out the introduction below!
Introduction to the Warwick Valley Plant Natives Alliance
In 2023 the Florida Public Library asked for help with plantings around their building, and in 2024 the Albert Wisner Public Library asked for help with a new pollinator garden. Meanwhile the Village of Warwick has made plans to install a new butterfly garden in the park next to the library.
The organizer of the Monarch Village Project was seeking assistance, and the Friends of Transformation Trails needed volunteers to help cultivate a new arboretum and pollinator meadow.
Sustainable Warwick had started a Pollinator Pathway, while Orange Environment was also running a Pollinator Pathway Project and was establishing a native plant garden at the Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery. At the same time, the Warwick Valley Gardeners have been increasingly focused on using native plants, Grow Local Greenwood Lake has native plants (and vegetables!) in its community garden, and Orange County Audubon Society has continually encouraged bird-friendly plantings.
Finally we got to asking: Can we all work together?
At the end of 2023, Sustainable Warwick invited representatives of all these groups to a discussion, and the Warwick Valley Plant Natives Alliance was formed.
Mission Statement – The Warwick Valley Plant Natives Alliance was founded by local groups that are all acting on global concerns about declining biodiversity. The mission of the Alliance is
to encourage the cultivation of native plants and resist the spread of invasive species while reducing pesticide and herbicide use. We aim to educate, inspire, and encourage our neighbors throughout the Warwick Valley to have a greater appreciation of and more interaction with the natural world.
pollinators@sustainablewarwick.org
Contact: Sally Greco
WV Plant Natives Alliance Organizer
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