by Jean Greeley

There is something magical about the month of June. It is finally warm enough to wear shorts and walk barefoot outside. The sun rises early, climbs way up in the sky, and is slow and lazy to sink below the horizon. The American robins are early risers, waking us up before dawn with their sweet warbling, and the last bird vocals in the evening, lullabying young children to sleep at dusk. Our plants, trees, and grass are still sporting that new green color. Gardens are full of flowers, buzzing bees, and fluttering butterflies. Life seems to be shouting, “It’s Summer!”

A pollinator garden in June has its own summer hurrahs. Living things that spent the winter in cozy underground homes, in hollow plant stems, or away in warmer climes, are now in plain sight for us to enjoy. Abundant colorful flowers display themselves against the backdrop of green plants still maturing for the last blaze of colors of late summer and fall. And the earthy-sweet smell in the air is just wonderful.

The Brookdale Park Pollinator Garden is filled with opportunities to experience moments of connection to the living things going about their business. It does not disappoint in providing an experience for the senses. Set aside an hour or two in your day and take a stroll through the garden. Bring a journal to write down what you see and feel, or a camera because you never know what surprises you may encounter. Here are a few things you can take notice of.

As you approach the garden you will first see the early summer greens and colorful flowers blooming in shades of pink, lavender, pale yellow, and white. Most obvious from a distance are the tall white beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) flower spikes that attract our large, long-tongued bees like bumblebees and carpenter bees; and purple Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis), which attracts not only bumblebees but the smaller sweat bees for its pollen. As you move closer to the garden the shorter plants will come into view. Bradbury monarda (Monarda bradburiana), with its pale pink flowers, is a stunning and compact plant native to parts of the South and Midwest. It loves its New Jersey home here in Brookdale Park. Pale purple coneflowers (Echinacea pallida) are just beginning to bloom and look sweet with their thin pink petals drooping down from the head of the flower like little ballet skirts. They will grow taller as they mature into summer.

Inside the garden stroll through the different pathways to get a closer look at the blooms and the pollinators visiting them. When you come across Bradbury monarda take a close look at one flower. What appears to be a single flower with pink petals is actually a wreath of individual tubular flowers all attached to the flower head. Each “petal” is really a flower. This is called a composite flower and there are many different species of composite flowers in the garden, such as asters, goldenrod, and zinnias. Our pollinators love composite flowers because each flower head, or “inflorescence”, provide many opportunities for pollinators to find nectar in one place, it is a veritable food court for pollinators. Notice how each little monarda flower is divided into two parts - a slender pink feathery spike on top with a purple spotted lower lobe underneath. Long-tongued bees, like bumblebees, love these tubular flowers, as do daytime clearwing moths and even hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are pollinators too and can be seen here in the garden throughout the summer.

Walking slowly and mindfully, tune into the sounds in and around the garden. There are birds singing, chirping, or sending out warning signals to other birds. Maybe they are warning of the presence of a hawk nearby, or a grey catbird on the hunt for eggs and nestlings. You may notice buzzing sounds coming from busy bumblebees foraging on the flowers. They are doing their work of collecting pollen from the flower by vibrating their flight muscles at a high frequency, shaking pollen from the anthers onto the hairs covering their bodies. This is called “buzz pollination”, or sonication. Not all bees are capable of this, but bumblebees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, green metallic bees, and mining bees are buzz pollinators. (They also use this capability to warm up for flight in cool weather.) The buzz all bees create in flight comes from their rapidly beating wings. Butterfly wings can make sounds too, faintly clicking while lifting off flowers. Another sound you may hear comes from the first of the emerging seasonal cicadas (not the periodic species, like the 17-year cicada). Their sound comes from an organ called a tymbal. The last treat for the ears is the distant sound of children playing in the nearby playground - sweet sounds of joy and abandon.

While taking this all in you may notice a faint sweet smell in the air. Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is at its peak bloom in June with its pink flower clusters emitting a honey like fragrance that is attractive to pollinators and pleases human visitors as well. Fragrance is one method that plants use for successful pollination - the fragrance advertises the sweet nectar, the pollinators can’t resist and zero in on the flowers, and pollination takes place in the process. The common milkweed has been growing wild in this spot for many years and was the inspiration for creating the pollinator garden. Milkweeds are the only plant that supports the vulnerable monarch butterfly life cycle. In 2018 it was decided to protect the wild milkweed and make something more out of the area. Volunteers removed the invasive plants surrounding the milkweed, added other native flowering plants to attract monarchs and other good insects, and waited to see what would happen. The monarchs and other insects quickly moved in, and they reproduced, creating future generations.

Another fun thing to do while visiting the garden is to use your sense of touch as part of the sensory experience. You can gently move your hand through still-emerging blazing star plants, or the little bluestem grass that won’t be so little later in the summer. You can feel the prickly seed heads of pale purple coneflowers and may even find one of the tall rattlesnake master plants starting to bloom. The flowers are sharp and prickly, as are their broad leaves, so be careful. For a softer experience feel the seed heads of spent Bradbury monarda flowers - soft and fuzzy. If you see a plant marker that reads “Mountain Mint” go ahead and run your fingers through the leaves and enjoy the minty smell left on your hands. It is not a member of the mint family, so no tasting.

Tasting in general is never recommended as a practice to garden visitors. Plants can be deceptive in appearance and fragrance, so only experienced foragers can safely sample certain plants. It is always better to be safe than sorry. If you feel the need to satisfy your tastebuds, better to walk to the ice cream truck near the playground for a tasty treat. A great way to wrap up your trip through the Brookdale Pollinator Garden!

Activities for the Whole Family

Watch these educational videos

The Sound of Butterfly Wings

The Vibrating Bumblebee Unlocks a Flower’s Hidden Treasure

Common Milkweed Patch = Sensory Bliss

A life long nature lover, biologist, Rutgers Master Gardener, and Rutgers Environmental Steward Jean Greeley conceived and brought to life Brookdale Park's Monarch Waystation & Pollinator Garden. We are always thrilled to share her enchanting stories on everything happening in our pollinator garden.

The Brookdale Park Conservancy is an all-volunteer group, funded by donations. Join us for fun, friends, and learning! Or make a donation to help us keep the park beautiful!