FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 3, 2021
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gordon Tepper, Rebecca Cheng and Michael Anderson | (516) 869-7794
Native Plant Program Creates Habitats for Pollinators
North Hempstead, NY – Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board were proud to welcome the addition of 13 new native plant gardens created by Town residents this year. The new gardens located in Port Washington, Mineola, Roslyn Heights, Great Neck and New Hyde Park are comprised of New York native plants. This was made possible by funding from the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District which offered residents up to $500 per household for the purchase of native plants to create a native plant or rain garden.
The native plants utilized in these new residential gardens will provide food, shelter, and nesting habitat for pollinators, such as the monarch butterfly. Monarch butterflies are currently candidates for endangered species listing. Birds, small mammals, and a variety of wildlife species also benefit from these resources. Residents who installed gardens stated that they saw a multitude of pollinators visiting their new plants.
Native plants also have environmental benefits such as extensive root systems that absorb polluted stormwater, the ability to take in carbon dioxide and other air pollutants, and do not need fertilizer or irrigation once established. These new gardens have greatly supported the Town’s efforts to increase native plants and wildlife habitat throughout the Town’s geographic area.
Wildlife habitat in suburban areas has been fragmented and degraded over time. One of the Town’s goals is to establish smaller areas of habitat that pollinators and other wildlife can move freely between. The more native plant gardens that are created in the Town, the more connected the habitat becomes.
The Town’s partners, the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Long Island Native Plant Initiative, also assisted with the creation of new educational resources. This includes a native plant list, design and maintenance information for native plant gardens, and design templates for various garden conditions.
Free resources are available on the Town’s website for residents to learn how to create their own native plan and rain gardens. For more information visit: northhempsteadny.gov/nativeplantrebate.
Garden created in Port Washington containing river birch trees, blazing star, false indigo, summer sweet shrubs and more.
Monarch butterfly feeding on swamp milkweed in new residential Mineola garden.
Blooming Joe-pye weed and woodland sunflower in new residential Mineola garden.
