Pollinator Pathway
Williston
Welcome to the Pollinator Pathway of Williston Vermont!
We engaged two new garden areas in the Village Community Park to join the pathway and thus give an active visual guide to native perennial beds that so magically attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and wasps. The goal is to set up a teaching placard near a park garden to encourage the addition of more native landscaping in the community. Williston is a fast growing community with a population of 10,000+ in northwest Vermont. Residential, commercial, and retail growth is controlled but rampant leaving less and less undeveloped land every year. It is critical that gardeners and homeowners learn to have less lawn, less non-native shrubs and trees and to replace them with true native plants that pollinators, birds, and other wildlife have evolved with so they can continue to thrive and maintain their populations.
The more gardens that join the Pathway the more it becomes an actual living corridor. In this time of climate crisis, alarming insect, butterfly, and bird declines, and massive non-native invasive plant takeovers let us give back to nature what we have taken from them. The joy of seeing the return of wild bees, butterflies, and birds is a true mesmerizing wonder.
The original and first Pollinator Pathway garden in Williston started in 2021 on Oak Hill Road. It encompasses 18 acres with a huge abundance of native indigenous perennials, grasses, shrubs, trees, and spring ephemerals. Around the new home, 5000 SF of native perennial beds (75+ species), and an additional 1300 SF of native shrub beds (14 species), were installed. Many native trees such as swamp white oak, pin oak, hophornbeam, musclewood, serviceberries, maples, black gum, blackhaw viburnum, white spruce, and Canaan fir have been added near the house. The surrounding meadows which were frequently mowed by a previous owner have come back to life with spring to fall blooming perennials. The seeding in of our own native willows, dogwoods, viburnums, and spiraea in the meadows has been allowed to provide increased bird habitat. Ongoing invasive removal has allowed native perennials, shrubs, and trees in the hedgerows and meadows to resurge. This property has experienced a huge flush in biodiversity of flora and fauna with the encouragement and addition of native plant species plus no pesticide use, leaving the leaves and perennial plants in the fall, limited mowing, leaving dead snags and brush, providing bird baths with clean water (insects drink also), and very importantly becoming dark sky certified so no lights at night.
Partners with the Village Park Gardens:
Williston Recreation and Parks
Williston Conservation Commission
Native perennial sources:
Bird and Bee Native Plants
415 Browns Trace Rd
Jericho VT 05465
https://www.birdandbeeplants.com
Full Circle Gardens
68 Brigham Hill Rd
Essex VT 05452
Northeast Pollinator Plants
River Berry Farm
191 Goose Pond Rd
Fairfax, VT 05454
https://www.northeastpollinator.com
The Farm Upstream
150 Lee River Rd
Jericho VT 05465
https://www.thefarmupstream.com
Green Mountain Natives
29 Old Foundry Rd
Orwell VT 05760
https://greenmountainnatives.com
OPEN only by appointment for plant pickup
Village Community Park Garden
A native perennial garden was installed September 2025 in front of one of the first buildings when you enter the park from in back of the Williston Central School. Plants were selected to be of high to very high value for pollinators and to cover the bloom season from spring to fall with resources for numerous pollinators. This sets a great example of fostering local biodiversity and community engagement. Rain barrels installed in the corners were beautifully decorated by the kids at the Williston R.E.C. Camp this summer; weeper hoses extend from the barrels into the garden beds.
Village Community Park Recreational Path
Village Community Park: Pollinator garden along a public paved pathway just beyond the start of the Williston Disc Golf Course, developed with collaboration between Sustainable Williston, American Meadows, Williston Central School, Williston Conservation Commission, and Williston Recreation and Parks. This garden sparks a lot of curiosity and public viewing since it is on a well used town recreational path.
Native Plants:
Asclepias syriaca
Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'
Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'
Eupatorium perfoliatum
Monarda fistulosa
Pycnanthemum virginianum
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Verbena hastata
Locally indigenous species such as Oenothera biennis, Prunella vulgaris, and Symphyotrichum lanceolatum have seeded in and attracted pollinators
