The Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathways group (MCPPG) is a volunteer coalition of gardeners, native plant and pollinator enthusiasts who have come together to promote nature-based solutions for the environment. Native plant gardens in our backyards address an array of problems associated with climate change, including the decline in pollinator species and biodiversity, soil health and erosion, carbon sequestration, air and water quality, stormwater management, and temperature extremes. Currently covering the towns of Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Newton, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown, Winchester, and Woburn, we are working to restore habitat through education on native plants, pesticides, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation. We welcome anyone in these and nearby towns to join our group, which meets online on the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30 – 9:00 pm.
We are mapping private and public pollinator gardens in the metrowest communities of the Mystic and Charles River watersheds. to share awareness of existing gardens in our pathways and determine gaps (opportunities) for pollinator habitats. Please help! If you have just 6 native plant species in your yard, you can add your garden to our map by taking a fun and informative survey. Then get a sign to show off your accomplishment!
Not sure your garden qualifies? Pledge to create a native plant garden or pollinator patch to expand food supply for pollinators (and birds) and restore healthy, biodiverse ecosystems to our communities. You can visit the map here, explore peer entries so far, and take an “armchair garden tour” (with photos) by clicking on all the starred entries.
If you would like to add a public green space in your community to our map, you can do so at the Mystic Charles Pollinator Pathway Public Green Space Form.
Pollinators know no boundaries. Support bees, butterflies, birds, and our planet today!
Links:
- Pathway map: http://tiny.cc/MCmap
- Survey link (homeowners) : http://tiny.cc/MCyardsurvey
- Survey link (public green space): http://tiny.cc/MCgreenspacesurvey
- Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mysticcharlespollinators
Looking for resources, advice and all-around support? Check out our Facebook Group to see planting guides, best practices for fall clean-up, buying resources, and more!
Or join us on zoom meetings the second Tuesday of each month, 7:30-9pm via our Google Group: https://groups.google.com/u/1/g/mystic-charles-pollinator-pathways.
For more information, send questions to: mysticcharles.pollinatorpaths@gmail.com.