Collinsville Pollen Trail (Collinsville, CT) is a community planting effort to build an extended native plant garden along a stretch of the former Central New England (CNE) railroad line. Planting for pollinators, planting for biodiversity, planting for birds, bringing wildlife back and creating a welcoming space for residents and visitors is our mission. 

The project began several years ago with an impressive invasive plant management effort, headed by Canton resident, Karen Berger, along with Cherry Brook Garden Club and the UConn Extension Master Gardener Program. In March 2019, Eversource's Vegetation Management team supervised the clearing of the trail of trees to ensure electrical service to the area would not be compromised. While it was an abrupt change to the landscape, it created a blank canvas and set the stage for our collective vision. 

With cooperation and assistance from Eversource and Canton Department of Public Works, neighbors joined together to research and plan for the first phase of planting which was completed in Fall 2019 with 31 native shrubs. Cherry Brook Garden Club members, local residents and Allen Place property owners planted dozens of perennial bulbs, mulched beds and broadcast thousands of milkweed seeds along the slope leading to the woods. 

The objective is to continue eradicating invasive plants and commit to only planting natives along Allen Place. We are planting for the future by successively filling in empty areas with native trees, pollinator-attracting shrubs and perennials, native sedges and grasses, bringing wildlife back to this unique section of trail treasured by many residents and visitors. (photos by Wendy Rosenberg)