CHNA Environment Committee
About the Committee
The Latest
Resources
Environmental References
Committee Meetings
Environment Committee Archive
About the Committee
The CHNA formed an environment committee in 2019 to enhance the environmental health, liveability and ecological integrity of our neighbourhood. The committee is committed to building environmental awareness, encouraging CHNA residents to participate in community projects and strengthening communication with other local organizations, leaders and citizens who support these goals.
Committee Priorities for 2024
Interested in helping?
Contact us if you would like to join us at a monthly committee meeting or help us with a specific project.
Committee Priorities for 2024
- Offer learning opportunities about wildlife-friendly gardening and native plant gardening.
- Celebrate and learn more about the nature in our neighbourhood and how to support it.
- Maintain and enhance the native plant demonstration garden at Princess Margriet Park.
Interested in helping?
Contact us if you would like to join us at a monthly committee meeting or help us with a specific project.
The Latest
Celebrating local Plants and Pollinators
Saturday May 25
10:30am to 12:30pm
Princess Margriet Park (formerly Fairmont Park).
Join us for a fun morning exploring our Native Plant Demonstration Garden! Enjoy activities for the whole family: discover how to use iNaturalist to help identify plants and insects, make a pollinator hotel for your yard, learn about essential links between monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, and, while supplies last, take home some seeds to plant in your home garden.
Don't miss this chance to connect with nature in our neighbourhood!
Date Posted: May 16, 2024
Don't miss this chance to connect with nature in our neighbourhood!
Date Posted: May 16, 2024
Native Plant Demonstration Garden
Created and maintained by volunteers from the neighbourhood
|
After the spring tulips fade, plants native to Eastern Ontario dominate the garden in the northeast part of Princess Margriet Park (formerly Fairmont Park). This garden was created to show off the beauty of easy-to-grow native plants. They’re also the kind of plants that attract birds and pollinators. Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region. They are well adapted to the local climate and will provide a natural habitat for many species of animals and birds. Because of patches of native plants, like this one in Princess Margriet Park, you can expect to see more wildlife in the park. Be on the lookout for birds, insects and maybe small mammals that will find food, protection, and nesting sites here. Non-native species, on the other hand, can be invasive and may alter the ecosystem of an area. They are known to crowd out native plants. And local animals, unfamiliar with the foreign plants, don’t recognize these plants for food or shelter. Other Benefits of Native Plants: Low maintenance -- Once established, native plants generally require little maintenance. Because native plants are adapted to local soil and environmental conditions, they don’t require additional fertilizer and should get enough water from the rain. Beauty -- Many native plants offer beautiful showy flowers, produce abundant colourful fruits and seeds, and present brilliant seasonal changes in colours. If you watch the garden from season to season, you’ll see certain colours associated with particular months. For instance, the pale greens tend to appear in early spring, the vibrant yellows in summer, and the reds in autumn. Here’s what’s thriving in the Princess Margriet Park Garden so far: Swamp Milkweed Asclépiade incarnate Asclepias incarnata Flat-topped White Aster Aster à ombelles Doellingeria umbellate Golden Alexander Aizia doré Zizia aurea Bottlebrush Grass Élyme étalé Elymus hystrix Red Columbine Ancolie du Canada Aquilegia canadensis Zigzag Goldenrod Verge d'or à tige zigzagante Solidago flexicaulis Large-leaved Aster Aster à grandes feuilles Eurybia macrophylla Common White Snakeroot Eupatoire rugueuse Eupatorium rugosum American Spikenard Aralie à grappes Aralia racemosa Blue-stemmed Goldenrod Verge d'or bleuâtre Solidago caesia Sky Blue Aster Aster azuré Symphyotrichum oolentangiense Early Sunflower Héliopsis faux-hélianthe Heliopsis helianthoides Bowman’s Root Gillé trifoliée Gillenia trifolia Wild Bergamot Monarde fistuleuse Monarda fistulosa Giant Hyssop Agastache fenouil Agastache foeniculum Gray’s Sedge Carex de Gray Carex grayii If you’re inspired to put some native plant species in your own garden:
Happy Gardening! Date Posted: Mar 21, 2022 - updated May 16, 2024 |
©Peter Hall
|
Nature in our Neighbourhood
Observe, Learn & Share! Learn to identify species in our neighbourhood and share your wildlife, tree and plant observations using the bilingual iNaturalist app.
Check out recent sightings and observations in the CHNA area below
Date Posted: Jun 6, 2020
Check out recent sightings and observations in the CHNA area below
- Who are our superstar nature observers?
- What fascinating wildlife is in our ‘hood?
- How does the diversity of nature in our neighbourhood compare to other areas in Ottawa?
Date Posted: Jun 6, 2020
Resources
Environmental References
Committee Meetings
Meeting minutes available upon request – contact us.
Environment Committee Archive
Here you'll find older content by the Environment Committee.