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This page displays the Pollinator Pathway map with the icons representing all the addresses on the map. Public Gardens On The Pollinator Pathway Map To explore an area, enter an address in the text box below. If you get an error message, refine your search by providing more detail for the address. The search may not take you to the exact address you type in, but it will take you to the general vicinity near your address. From there you can explore the map. All Gardens Public Gardens PP Communities Error Text

This page displays the Pollinator Pathway map with the icons representing all the addresses on the map. Communities on the Pollinator Pathway All Gardens Public Gardens PP Communities

This page displays the Pollinator Pathway map with the icons representing all the addresses on the map. Pollinator Pathway Map To explore an area, enter an address in the text box below. If you get an error message, refine your search by providing more detail for the address. The search may not take you to the exact address you type in, but it will take you to the general vicinity near your address. From there you can explore the map. All Gardens Public Gardens Communities Error Text

By Donna Merrill On that fabled New York City street named Broadway, sits a ribbon of greenery, a peaceful splash of nature running north from 60th Street through the Upper West Side, Harlem and Washington Heights. Known as The Broadway Mall, this 5-mile chain of median islands, each 240 feet long and 20 feet wide, has long provided a narrow oasis amidst the dust and din of the urban bustle. But move over English ivy!  It’s time to cede ground for golden rod, columbine, asters and sedges.    Thanks to Ian Olsen, Director of Horticulture with the non-profit Broadway Mall Conservancy,  this corridor of green, re-planted with a multitude of native plants,  has become a vibrant connected urban habitat for native bees, butterflies, birds and local denizens who seek a quiet refuge, if only briefly, from the density and drama of city life.     For more information about this vital habitat for urban wildlife, check out the  Broadway Mall website ,  which includes a database and map of all the native plants on the Malls.  Follow the Broadway Mall on  Instagram  and  Facebook . Pollinator Pathway Board members visited the Broadway Mall last summer and were truly inspired by the project. This short video clip  shows why!

Pictured left to right: Craig Toothman, Franklin County Pollinator Pathway; Susan King, Licking County Pollinator Pathway; Jana Hogan, Executive Director National Pollinator Pathway; Terry Hermsen, North Central Ohio Pollinator Pathway. This past January, more than 200 Pollinator Pathway members gathered in Ohio for a weekend dedicated to pollinators, native plants, and community action. The summit began Friday evening with a screening of The Little Things That Run the World , drawing a large and engaged audience. The film highlights both the urgency of insect decline and the hopeful solutions already taking root in communities like those across Ohio. It also features Pollinator Pathway co-founders, sharing how a message grounded in hope and practical action has inspired so many communities to get involved. On Saturday, leaders from North Central Ohio , Licking County , and Franklin County Pollinator Pathways met at Ohio Wesleyan University for a collaborative “Leaders Lab.” Through peer learning and facilitated discussions, organizers shared best practices and envisioned what success could look like five years from now — including connected habitat corridors across counties, updated municipal policies supporting native plants, and expanded outdoor classrooms in schools. Participants identified priorities such as shared mapping tools, model ordinances, resource hubs, microgrants, and continued network convenings. According to National Pollinator Pathway Executive Director Jana Hogan, who attended the meeting, “A clear theme has emerged from this summit: local pathways are thriving and innovative, but shared tools and coordinated support could help accelerate impact.” Following the Leaders Lab, the Third Annual Summit, (Re) Learning the Earth, convened in the afternoon, featuring diverse local perspectives on the pollinator and native landscape movement through pop-up talks and breakout sessions led by Patti Shipley (Leaves for Wildlife Native Plant Nursery), Michael Keeler (Ohio Native Plant Concepts), Dave Heithaus (Knox County Parks), Traci Cardinal (Dark Sky Ohio), Alison Meyer (art teacher and native plant designer), Susan King (Licking County Pollinator Pathway), and naturalists from Delaware City Schools and Preservation Parks of Delaware County. The broader conference also featured regional presentations, including highlights from the successful Meadows for Monarchs project, a replicable model that provides training, native seed mixes and access to tools to help land owners convert grassy areas into biodiverse pocket prairies. Terry Hermsen, organizer of the Summit and the North Central Ohio Pollinator Pathway, reflected on the weekend’s momentum: “What stood out most was the spirit of collaboration. Each community is doing impressive work on its own, but when we share ideas and resources across counties, our impact multiplies.” Pollinator Pathway groups in Ohio are demonstrating what’s possible when grassroots leadership connects across communities and organizations. Small plantings become corridors. Individual efforts become collective impact. The more we connect, the stronger the pathway becomes.

By the Brookline Pollinator Pathway  When we started the Brookline Pollinator Pathway a few years ago, our goal was simple: plant more native flowers and help pollinators thrive. But as we dug in, we discovered something deeper. Each garden we planted became a place where people came together, stood in awe at the beauty of nature, shared stories, asked questions, and imagined what they could create for their community. Brookline’s pathway of gardens has grown as we have grown together as a group. We began by establishing a handful of gardens on public land in collaboration with the Town of Brookline, and we committed to tending our public gardens together as small groups of neighbors who came together to care for nature. Over time, our garden workdays   turned into friendships, ideas, and shared dreams for how our parks, libraries, and schools could be more alive with native plants and community life.   Now, our group includes more than a hundred people, volunteers, gardeners, and supporters, who keep ten public and many more private gardens blooming. Within our gardens, everyone can find a place to belong, and we are eager to share ideas for how we can work together to help our community. Some of us love getting our hands dirty doing winter sowing, transplanting, or giving away seedlings. Some of us love the opportunities to connect with Above: Brookline Public Library planting. others through education or art, such as at seed collection workshops, garden tours, or exhibits about pollinators and native plants. Some of us love writing letters encouraging restored natural habitats and green infrastructure that support clean water, reduced stormwater flooding, healthy trees, and cooler neighborhoods.  We have found that ecological restoration isn’t just about landscapes, it’s about relationships. When people feel invited to shape the world around them, they show up with creativity and care. Our gardens are living proof that small acts: watering, planting, sharing seeds, can build a culture of stewardship.   What we Have Learned: As we grow and nurture our gardens, our community grows and thrives!   Planting our native plant pollinator gardens helps restore the natural world and builds community around  nature and hope. Visitors to our gardens often take pictures of the plant labels because they are so inspired to  plant their own small patch of natural habitat in their lawn, on a driveway border, or tree lawn.  Some things we’ve learned along the way:  Start with enthusiasm, not perfection. One well-tended garden can inspire a movement. Giving away a seedling at an event can be the beginning of a new garden.  Celebrate small choices that make a difference. Each planting day, each volunteer, each seed, and each new flower adds up to real change.   Collaborate early and often. Town departments, local nonprofits, and schools are natural allies.  Connect your efforts to bigger goals. Framing pollinator gardens as green infrastructure can open new funding and policy doors.   Nurture community as much as plants. Garden tours, workshops, art, and shared projects create new connections, lasting bonds, and a vibrant sense of belonging.   Cultivate and celebrate volunteers. Honor all the ways people can contribute.  Create one invitation after another to connect people together and bring them into the conversation about native plants, biodiversity, and ecological restoration.  Brookline’s story is still unfolding, but we’ve seen firsthand how planting for pollinators grows something much larger: a community of people who care for the land, the water, and each other.  And we are especially eager to strengthen our connection to the national Pollinator Pathway community as we work together to connect pollinator health to climate resilience, biodiversity, and the well-being of our communities. “Brookline pollinator gardens have beautifully exemplified what the Town can create when we build true partnerships with our community volunteers.   While the Town works to design these gardens, purchase the necessary materials, prepare the sites for establishment, and educate residents about the importance of our pollinator gardens, the ongoing maintenance and care   would not be possible without our dedicated group of volunteers who   regularly water and weed these gardens on public property. It has been such a rewarding initiative to be a part of and truly demonstrates what is possible when municipalities and community members work together towards important shared goals.” – Alexandra Vecchio, Sustainability & Natural   Resources Director – Department of Public Works   For more about our work, visit https://brooklinepp.wixsite.com/brooklinepp .  Art by group co-leader Chen Nir, which was featured in a library exhibit we created on pollinator gardens in  October 2024.