Pollinator garden adds color to library
From left, Gina Eckert, Phyllis Pasquarelli and Shari Schneirov enjoy a nice day by Peters Township Public Library’s pollinator garden.
Peters Township residents Dena Johnston and Rebecca Nicholson Allen made a sign for the pollinator garden.
McMURRAY – Patrons might notice something a little more colorful along the side of Peters Township Public Library.
The library’s pollinator garden has been unveiled and is now in full bloom alongside the building.
And, as an added enticement, the library has put two red tables with chairs and umbrellas next to the garden for patrons to enjoy it.
“There were a few boxwood bushes and a little rose bush,” said Gina Eckert, a township librarian. She and co-worker Shari Schneirov took the initiative to begin asking the community for donations of plants that would attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators.
Local residents came through, donating black-eyed Susans, butterfly bushes, calla lilies, coneflowers, globe thistle, lavender, sweet woodruff and other plants that attract pollinating animals. Eckert said pollinator-friendly and low-maintenance plants were specifically chosen for the garden, the purpose of which is to raise environmental awareness.
“There has been a lot of concern about pollinators, especially with the decline of the bees and butterflies, especially the Monarch butterfly,” Schneirov said.
The garden’s plants were started around the beginning of the year and kept on the ledge of Cafe Lee on the library’s second floor, where they could get sun and be protected from the elements.
“The plants did very well on the ledge,” Eckert said.
In late April, she and Schneirov joined students from Peters Township High School’s Students Acting for the Environment Club, the GO Green Club and local master gardeners to plant the vegetation. The plants have grown rapidly, thanks to the balmy summer weather.
Kids who visit the library also have fashioned hummingbird feeders and butterfly watering stations for the garden. Township residents Dena Johnston and Rebecca Nicholson Allen made the garden’s sign.
“Gina and I just saw a Monarch butterfly,” Schneirov said.
Phyllis Pasquarelli of McMurray, a library regular, said the garden is beautiful.
“It is very special.”