As part of Friends of Brower Park’s sustainability mission we hope to keep our community up to date on green events happening in Brower Park and within the five boroughs. Trees reduce energy costs, filter pollutants including carbon from the air, provide habitat for local and migrating wildlife and help manage drainage during heavy rain storms reducing stress on NYC’s sewage systems. Reserve your free tree at the New York Restoration Project website.

To qualify you must plant the tree in one of New York City’s five boroughs; promise to keep the tree properly watered and maintained; and plant your tree on your property. It can’t be planted along streets, in city parks, in containers, on terraces, balconies, or on roofs.

By planting this tree and caring for it to maintain its health by watering it during dry months, and placing mulch around its base [6″ from the base of the tree] you will be helping yourself and your community manage rainwater, reduce energy needs and breathe cleaner air.

The next Brooklyn Free Tree Giveaway:

Tree Giveaway – Home Depot Brooklyn

Saturday, October 31, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Location:

585 Dekalb Avenue. Brooklyn, 11205 (Map)

Host:

Home Depot Brooklyn

– See more

As we worked in the Monarch Butterfly habitat a Eastern Tiger Swallowtail dined on the nectar of the purple coneflowers (Scientific/Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea). The Echinacea is pollinated by bees and butterflies as they flit from flower to flower. The blazing stars (Scientific/Botanical name: Liatris spicata)  and wild bergamot or bee balm (Scientific/Botanical name: Monarda fistulosa), are blooming in the background.

Today community volunteers created a blue stone stump table in the Monarch Butterfly habitat with a found slab. The tree was lost to Hurrican Sandy. It forms a great work surface. The garden habitat is in full color. The Appalachian Mountain Mint (Scientific/Botanic name: Pycanthemum flexuosum) the small white flowers are in bloom. The tall purple stalks, Blazing Stars (Liatris spicata), has reached a height of 2 feet. The Sunflowers are in the foreground and should reach 9 feet by mid-August and begin to bloom. We will be harvesting their sees for next years planting. These sunflower plants have grown from seeds we harvested in the fall of 2014. The children loved planting the sunflower seeds and have been keeping close tabs on their growth.

On July 10th and 24th of 2015 Friends of Brower Park partnered with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum to provide an outdoor art and nature themed activity. Children made Monarch Butterfly puppets out of paper and popsicle sticks. The butterfly puppets were such a success that we have a craft table at the FOBP weekend Its My Park Day Butterfly Gardening events.

To make your own Monarch Butterfly puppet download the Monarch Butterfly coloring form.

You may also download the Monarch Butterfly puppet displaying its authentic orange, black, and white colors.