A wildflower pilot program will be considered in Saugeen Shores’ 2024 budget.
Residents, Nancie Darlington Smith and Rob Shave of Green Works, with the support of councillor Bud Halpin, have proposed planting some wildflower gardens on Town property, which they say will create habitats, food for animals and insects, prevent erosion, store carbon and help pollinators, among other things.
A recent presentation to councillors says planting these gardens will significantly increase the amount of bumblebees.
They also point out a bonus to having wildflowers meadows means less mowing for public works.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says, “It’s not a very large financial impact but we will consider it as part of the 2024 budget,” adding, “I think it’s a pretty cool idea, as I say, not very expensive and could potentially have a big impact on both beautifying our community and making it more environmentally sustainable.”
The proponents are interested in planting gardens along the edges of parks, and on some grassy patches of land around the community. They say they would be several metres away from roads, sidewalks and trails, and would be planted along tree lines or in ditches.
Some proposed sites include the field between Nodwell Park and Parkwood Drive in Port Elgin, (and maybe considering a reconciliation garden there) another site could be the slope at the end of Nodwell Park at Market Street, the flat field at Eastwood Park, some beach access strips in Southampton, sites along the rail trail, and maybe, depending on how much sun it gets, the triangular area at the southeast corner of Hwy. 21 at South Street.
Plants might include, grasses and annual rye nurse crop, then black-eyed susans, wild lupins, cardinal and cone flowers, milkweed, thyme, teaberry and creeping juniper among other plants. They’d also like to add stones and dead wood to create native bee nesting sites.
They also note some wildflowers won’t germinate for 2-3 years.
Part of the group’s broader plan includes sharing information with the community about Town wildflowers and also how to create David Suzuki Butterflyways in neighbourhoods and convert lawns to meadows.
They also want to create signs that identify the different pollinators that benefit from the gardens.