Friends of Brower Park met Pastor Stephen Stallard and Teaching Pastor Woodley Victor on June 1, 2014. Brower Park’s new Monarch Butterfly Habitat was ready for its native plants to be placed in the ground. It was late in the day and volunteers were in their second day or work. We were looking at hours of planting work ahead. Emily Sherrod, from Partnership for Parks, pointed to a group having a celebration in Brower Park. Stephen, when approached immediately offered to help and within an hour all the plants had been not only placed in the ground but were deeply watered. Since then the Mosaic Baptist Church has supported the efforts of Friends of Brower Park by providing volunteer groups from all over the country as well as local congregants. This year alone the group has contributed over three hundred hours of hands-on park care hours. They have turned our heavy leaf compost, weeded gardens, raked leaves, created mulch rings to protect our old growth trees, and removed cobble stones from around our trees. Many tree pits are now filled with mulch to protect tree roots, aerate the soil and provide much needed nutrients. Healthy trees, and well-designed tree pits help reduce flooding, filter pollutants from the air reduce energy usage, provide shade, sequester rain water and provide habitat for wildlife.

Friends of Brower Park welcomes and appreciates their support and hard work and commitment to join together to make Brower Park a more sustainable and beautiful place for recreation and quiet enjoyment.

Join Crown Heights residents and the New York City Parks Department for an informational meeting about the coming reseeding of the great lawn in Brower Park. This meeting has been scheduled through Community Board 8’s Park Committee.

When: Tue, August 11, 6pm – 7pm

Where: Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, (In the Commons), Brooklyn, NY, United States (map)

Description: Informational Meeting to discuss the Re-Seeding project at Brower Park. The Parks Department will be in attendance to give an update on the project.

http://www.brooklyncb8.org/meetings/

On July 20, 2015 we had our first Monarch Butterfly siting. The Monarch has come to the garden habitat to consume plant nectar in our Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) blossoms. These milkweed plants were purchased in the spring of 2014 on ebay. From these first plants we harvested seeds from their green-brown seed pods. In the early spring of 2015 we planted the seeds indoors in micro-terrariums made from plastic egg cartons. Milkweed seeds like a damp environment to sprout. These young plants were transplanted to the outdoors at the end of April after the last frost day.
We also planted Common milkweed seeds (Asclepias syriaca) in June 2014. They did grow this year but have not put out their pale purple blossoms. Mixed in with the Swamp Milkweed purchase were a few Butterflyweed plants (Asclepias tuberosa). Their blossoms range from red-orange to yellow in color.

A passing park visitor helped Butterfly Gardeners transport and lift a discarded slab of bluestone onto the old stump in the Monarch Butterfly Garden habitat creating a perfect work surface for volunteer gardeners.

Purple blazing stars (Scientific/Botanical name: Liatris spicata) are standing tall alongside the white blossoms of the mountain mintScientific/Botanical name: Pycnanthemum virginianum). The mammoth Sunflowers are growing rapidly in the foreground and will be in full bloom by the end of August. These sunflowers were planted from seeds harvested from last years crop of sunflowers.

Our seed harvesting project initiated in the fall 0f 2014 has been a success. Both Milkweed and Sunflower seeds germinated beautifully. FOBP has been busy distributing seeds to volunteers. Friends of Brower Park seed packets–designed by Ana and Naia are beautiful and informative. Instructions are included in the packaging. We encourage everyone to plant Milkweed to help the Monarch Butterfly survive. Milkweed is the Monarch’s host plant and the only plant the Monarch Caterpillar will eat. So plant them in containers, windowboxes, and gardens. Let’s do our part to help the Monarch Butterfly survive.

Weekly Butterfly Gardening for Sustainability, Education and Building Community. Community Service Groups and individuals are welcome. Volunteer your time and effort.