Butterfly Bistro Expands Its Menu

A GREENER TOWNS LANDSCAPE PROJECT GROWS A HEALTHIER PARK.

Last May, the Skylark/Cryer Neighborhood Association broke ground on a new pollinator garden at the entrance of their neighborhood pool in Omaha. With plants from Moore’s Nursery, a plan from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and funding from a Mayor’s Neighborhood Grant, volunteers planted over one thousand trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges and other perennials to benefit wild bees and butterflies. And that was only Phase I.

This spring, the Cryer Park Butterfly Bistro welcomed 30 more plant varieties—another thousand plants—for Phase II. According to the Butterfly Bistro Green Team, the goal of the project is to “actively demonstrate how everyone can create habitats, large or small, that conserve and benefit the environment and beautify our natural surroundings.” The pollinator-friendly landscape utilizes a diverse mix of native and waterwise plants that conserve resources, crowd out weeds and minimize chemical use while providing nutritious blooms from spring to fall and safe places for insects to overwinter.

Along with undertaking the ongoing care of the gardens, the Green Team coordinates a calendar of fundraising and outreach on their behalf. This has meant going door to door for donations and leveraging them for funding assistance from Greener Towns, a landscaping program coordinated by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and sponsored by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.

Do you know of a community landscape project in need of funding? We want to help. The Greener Towns program can award up to $20,000 per project and is now accepting applications through August 31 for spring 2020 plantings. Please visit “Project Funding” at plantnebraska.org to learn more.