Newsletter #24 - Jan/Feb. 2024 |
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Help protect pollinators in Mississauga - share this newsletter with friends and family! |
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Above: MONARCHS ARE NOW DESIGNATED ENDANGERED by Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA). We're thinking about monarchs and the protective measures this designation can bring. Learn more here>> Our monarch butterflies who migrated south in fall are now overwintering en masse in the forested mountain regions west of Mexico City, sheltering in clusters on branches and trunks of the Oyamel firs. There they will mate in February, with 3 to 4 generations of migrating offspring needed along the journey north, before the final generation arrives in Ontario in May. Let's wish them well! Photo: Alex Guillaume |
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Message from the President Dear BB Members and Supporters, January and February are garden-dreaming months! As we begin a new year, we are filled with optimism and excitement for what lies ahead. This year holds much promise for BB, and we are thrilled to announce that we have some exciting projects coming up! We are deeply committed to protecting pollinators and their ecological community, and we believe that these new projects will help us make a real difference in the fight against habitat loss, species extinction, and other pressing biodiversity challenges. We can't wait to share more details with you in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, we are always looking for passionate individuals to join us in our efforts: as a member, volunteer, garden steward, and/or donor. Check out upcoming opportunities in this newsletter! Whether you have a background in gardening or conservation, or simply a desire to make a difference, there are many ways for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to get involved. Let's make a positive impact together! Cheers, Jeanne |
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Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good. - Jochen Zeitz Do more good. Join our efforts to provide habitat for our threatened native bees, butterflies and other wildlife species. Become a member Apply for a boulevard garden |
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Support biodiversity – replace your boulevard's grass with wildflowers and be part of our citywide pollinator habitat network! Apply for a 2024 boulevard garden |
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Now accepting applications from Mississauga residents for this year's boulevard gardens. So much better than grass – beautiful, easy-care, conserves water, supports endangered bees and butterflies! - what’s not to love? Get up to 50 FREE plants. Species are native to the Credit River Watershed and approved by the City of Mississauga. Left: BB Garden Steward Tiffany Angel Chan's thriving first-year native habitat garden. | | |
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Get involved! We need more plant propagation volunteers! Demand for our native plants has increased - we need to grow more! Can you help? Learn how to propagate plants from seed! Working from your home, you will have hands-on and online training in every aspect of growing selected native plant species from seed under lights indoors. You will germinate two trays of seedlings, and then transplant them into cups to grow on shelves under grow lights - about 144 plants in all. All materials and equipment will be provided on loan for the duration of the apprenticeship. Skills learned from this experience are applicable when propagating many kinds of plants, not just natives. Time commitment: March 1 to May 15; total 10 weeks, averaging. 30 minutes to 1 hour daily, 7 days/week.
Find out more and apply! |
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Happenings in JanuaryWe've been busy! |
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Who said that the winter months are slow for gardeners? That's sure not true for us! Instead, we happily fill these January and February days with planning, organizing, connecting, exploring, learning, and then – best of all – sit cozily with cups of steaming tea dreaming of the plant-filled gardens soon to come. |
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Our seeds need TLC Tender Loving Care for native plant seeds freshly harvested in fall means careful drying, cleaning, and cool, protected storage. Then, to prepare seeds for germination, most of our winter-adapted native species require exposure to a 60- to 90-day period of cold or cold-moist conditions. Learn about our stratification schedule and methods HERE>>
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Seed party! A rotation of BB volunteers spent hours over a four-day period in mid-January laughing and chatting while cold-moist stratifying many thousands of seeds. Left: Saundra, Heather, Mary Ellen, Murray, and Wayne with two of the six boxes of seeds we stratified. |
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Packaging party! Sometimes not all our seeds are needed for stratification. We save the extras in small packages and either donate or sell them during outreach events. Left: Neil, Catherine, and Wayne, one of our six seed packaging teams, are in full swing! |
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Upcoming in February - mark your calendar!Upcoming BB Webinars |
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Interesting, informative, and relevant - We conduct our workshops as FREE online presentations for individual registrants, with a question period afterward. Helpful information sheets are downloadable. ***Presentations for groups can be arranged for a fee. Contact us for more information. Low Maintenance Native Boulevard Gardens Learn how to replace your high-maintenance turf with a drought-proof, salt-resistant, no-mow boulevard garden! All you need to know about plant selection, design, installation and care will be covered in this inspiring workshop. Design Your Own Native Pollinator Garden Learn all the best ways to provide food and shelter for native pollinators, while delighting your family and neighbours with textures, shapes and colours. You will learn to assess site conditions and create a beautiful garden design that meets pollinator, plant and your own needs. The challenges of tough sites such as boulevards and balconies will be addressed and design templates will be available for download. |
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Grow your plants from seed! Join us on Feb. 24, 9:30 - 3:00 - Two events, two locations: Get ready for spring at these fun events. This is a great chance to connect with your fellow gardeners and learn more about our native plant seeds. Bring your kids! |
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Mississauga Seed Library Re-Launch Small Arms Inspection Building, 1352 Lakeshore W., Mississauga We will have a wide variety of fresh native seeds for sale, including hard-to-find species. * Most seeds are sourced locally and are native to the Credit River Watershed. Ask us questions and get garden and propagating advice Become a member and help our pollinators Apply for a native habitat boulevard garden Learn about our volunteer opportunities Kids' pollinator awareness crafts
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Seedy Saturday Mississauga Featuring an in-person presentation by BB's Jeanne McRight: 10:30 am - "Low Maintenance Boulevard Gardens" |
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Join our Board of Directors! We want to add Mississauga-area members to our Board of Directors and encourage expressions of interest. If you would like to join our lively, active and interesting board, please contact Jeanne at info@bloomingboulevards.org for more information.
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Thoughts from Sheila Cressman, our newly re-elected Director and Secretary |
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When I first joined the Blooming Boulevards Board of Directors in 2021, the meetings felt like a friendly group of neighbours getting together to chat about how to expand our pilot project of native plant boulevard gardens. Newly re-elected for a second three year term as a director, I continue to enjoy getting to know people whose paths I wouldn’t otherwise have crossed and learning more about the community in which I have lived for many years. |
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It’s rewarding to see how our administrative team takes a spark of an idea and builds it into something that's fun in the short term and has positive impact for years to come. Now in 2024, Blooming Boulevards is entering a period of exciting new growth. Ideas that initially seemed beyond our scope are beginning to taking shape. Seeing this transformation from the inside is interesting! |
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We’re looking for a keen new board member to join us in developing new initiatives such as our Community Greenhouse Project and mapping out our path as we transition from a not-for-profit to an organization with charitable status. We encourage board applicants from across the City of Mississauga and from diverse backgrounds and living circumstances. Are you someone with enthusiasm and a willingness to collaborate with others? Particularly, if you have skills or experience in fundraising, finance, project management or horticulture, or if you’re someone who likes to brainstorm and help bring ideas into reality, we’d be happy to hear from you. Find out what's involved! Send a letter of interest to info@bloomingboulevards.org. |
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Biodiversity BuzzBoosting Your Garden's Health With Soil Microbiotaby Pamela Sleightholm Healthy soil is the secret to thriving plants. But have you ever wondered about the tiny life forms that reside beneath the surface? |
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Above: FAO Infographic via https://www.fao.org/3/ca8251en/ca8251en.pdf Soil microbiota are the hidden heroes that play a crucial role in your garden's fertility. In the soil lies a vibrant microbial world teeming with countless bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other microorganisms. These tiny organisms form intricate networks and interactions that contribute to soil health and plant growth. They help decompose organic matter, release essential nutrients, aid in disease suppression, and boost soil structure, among other critical functions. Find out more>> about the fascinating world of soil microbiota, why it's important, and practical ways to improve your garden's microbial community. |
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Did you know? The soil microbiome is the most diverse community in the biosphere, holding at least a quarter of Earth's total biodiversity. |
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Biodiversity BuzzThe Lost Ladybug Project by Jeanne McRight The Lost Ladybug Project is run by Cornell University to preserve ladybug biodiversity. They say "The Lost Ladybug Project needs our help in finding out where all the ladybugs have gone so we can try to prevent more native species from becoming so rare." Case in point: The adult ladybug and small black ladybug larvae in the photo below are 7-spotted ladybugs, feasting on yellow oleander aphids that love my swamp milkweed. I never worry about aphids, since I know my garden's ladybugs and their voracious instars (larvae) will clear the aphids off in a jiffy. The 7-spotted species is one of 13 species found in Ontario. Unfortunately, these are not native, with a population now so numerous and widespread it is thought at least partially responsible for the rarity of our native 9-spotted species (Coccinella novemnotata), which according to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, haven't been seen in the province since the mid-90's. |
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Photo© 2023 Jeanne McRight |
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Lost Ladybug ProjectAcross North America ladybug species composition is changing. Over the past twenty years native ladybugs that were once very common have become extremely rare. During this same time ladybugs from other parts of the world have greatly increased both their numbers and range. |
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Guest writerThe untold story of the ladybirdsby Dr. Swati Saxena Visiting Scientist, Department of Biology, University of Toronto |
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Ladybirds (aka ladybugs and lady beetles) are an ancient and successful group of insects which undergo metamorphosis, a complete life cycle starting from the egg which gives rise to larva and passes through four larval stages or instars. The final larval stage forms the pupa which finally changes into an adult. Read Dr. Saxena's article>> about ladybird species varieties and the value of ladybirds as a beneficial insect for biocontrol. |
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Invasive species Invasive Species Awareness Week is February 26th to March 3rd, 2024By Heather Raithby Doyle |
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Did you know? Second to habitat loss, invasive species have been identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as the most significant threat to biodiversity. Invasive plants have far-reaching and long-lasting impacts. They reduce populations of native plants and the insects that depend on those plants, permanently altering communities and ecosystem functions, and costing economies millions of dollars each year.” - Ontario Invasive Plant Council Go here>> to take a look at some of the myths around invasive plants, and since this can be a heavy topic, we have a fun word game to play at the end! |
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Mark your calendars for the upcoming Invasive Species Awareness Week, taking place from Feb. 26-March 3, 2024! Get involved! Like and share posts created by participating organizations, or creating your own posts. Use the hashtag #InvSpWk. Hot Topics: Invasive Species Question and Answer | Thursday, Feb. 29 at 11 a.m. | Register and submit your questions here.
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Garden BuzzNative gardener to-do list: January/FebruaryDo some garden planning. Where can you tuck in a few more native plants? What about making a woodland garden in a shady spot under trees? Is this the year you create a boulevard garden? What about helping a friend design a native plant garden? Get started by taking our Design Your Own Pollinator Garden workshop Order native plants and/or seeds! We sell native plant seeds collected from our gardens. Most species we grow are indigenous to the GTA. Order them on our social media pages or shop in person at our outreach booths. Take a course or attend a presentation! Register for a free BB online workshop, or attend Jeanne's free in-person presentations at the Riverwood Conservancy and elsewhere in Mississauga. Stratify your native plant seeds in the refrigerator. This will prepare seeds for sowing indoors in early March, so they will be ready for your garden in mid-May. Winter-sow seeds outside directly on bare soil, in containers or trays, or in translucent jugs. Protect woody plants against hungry nibblers during the winter months. Wire cages around tasty favorites will discourage rabbits, and bark wraps discourage mice. Deer require tall, more elaborate structures (or choose species deer dislike). Read a book on native plant gardening, biodiversity conservation, or pollinating insects. Highly recommended: Wildscape by Nancy Lawson, Wasps by Heather Holm and Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps by Seirian Sumner. Get the iNaturalist app for your smartphone to help identify plants and wildlife, and report sightings of wild fauna and flora.
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Thank you! Blooming Boulevards is deeply thankful to have the support of the City of Mississauga, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and our community partners the Riverwood Conservancy, the Mississauga Master Gardeners, the Cloverleaf Garden Club, ACER, and Ecosource. A huge thanks to all our members, volunteers, supporters and donors who continue to help us provide habitat to pollinators and protect the wild plants and animals that share our urban neighbourhoods. We can't do this without you! |
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Our 2023 - 2024 Board of Directors Jeanne McRight, Founding President Sheila Cressman, Secretary Mary Jean Kucerak, Treasurer Wayne Cardinalli Aranya Iyer Murray Moore Pamela Sleightholm Communications Jeanne McRight Pamela Sleightholm Heather Raithby Doyle Saundra Hewitt Photography (unless otherwise noted) Jeanne McRight Strategic Advisor Douglas Markoff Financial Advisor Mary Furlin |
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Blooming Boulevards is an incorporated Ontario not-for-profit organization and a deeply grateful recipient of Community Grant funding support from the City of Mississauga. |
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