Woodstock CT Conservation

02/25/2026

Some day the snow will melt. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1NgcCHV78q/

02/14/2026

From the Friends of Goodwin Forest
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HZx5KdoEq/

10/02/2025

RiP Jane Goodall.

09/29/2025

Places to wander in Woodstock. Beginning at the Recreation Park next to Senexet Village is a mile long loop trail with views of Little River. Easy hike. Great for kids.

09/26/2025

Leave the leaves where you can to support biodiversity.

🍂 A Pile of Leaves = A Living City
One leaf pile can shelter 100+ species: moths, beetles, salamanders, earthworms, millipedes, spiders, and pollinators overwintering in safety.
• Bagging them doesn’t just “tidy up” → it evicts an entire ecosystem your garden relies on for pest control, pollination, and soil health.

🌱 Leave the leaves. Protect the life beneath.

09/21/2025

Is your yard pollinator friendly?

09/18/2025

Something to consider adding to your landscape.

🪵 Build a Habitat Tripod for Birds & Pollinators (U.S. Native Edition)
Turn a simple tripod into a mini sanctuary for wildlife in your garden!
Zones: 4–9 (adaptable with similar native climbing + nectar plants).

• Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) – climbs the tripod and provides nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.
• Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) – mid-height blooms that attract native bees and butterflies.
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – supports pollinators and feeds Monarch butterflies.
• Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) – host plant for Monarch caterpillars and nectar for butterflies.
• Little Bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) – provides seeds and cover for American Goldfinches and Eastern Bluebirds.

🌿 A tripod like this offers food, shelter, and protection—all in one natural feature. Perfect for creating a thriving, wildlife-friendly U.S. garden year-round! 🐦🦋🐝

09/13/2025

Invasive Knotweed: A Group Effort
by Pomfret's Conservation Commission

In case you missed last month’s article, this is Part Two of managing invasive knotweed in Pomfret. We’re seeking volunteers to help treat knotweed at priority project sites, and to report knotweed sightings. Please email [email protected] to get involved.

Also, mark your calendars! Join us for a knotweed management presentation with Jane Seymour of CT DEEP on September 24th at 6:30 pm at the Pomfret Community Center. This Town Event is posted on FB.

There are three critical parts to managing knotweed: (1) timing of treatments, (2) appropriate product applied, and (3) correct tools used. Missing one of these parts can have a negative impact. Following best practices for all three parts is safe, effective, and highly targeted. I’ve asked several conservation experts about how to manage knotweed with the most positive environmental outcomes. In all cases, treating it with glyphosate was recommended because knotweed is so resilient. They shared about aquatic-safe products and methods we detail in our new Knotweed Guide.

Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide. This means it remains in the plant tissue when applied to the leaves or cut stem, and is not active in the soil. This allows the invasive plant to be targeted without affecting the existing seedbank or nearby desirable trees and plants. Glyphosate typically takes about two weeks to be effective. This is ideal because the plant needs time to draw the herbicide down to the underground rhizomes. The above-ground growth won’t turn brown immediately – and that’s a good thing. Some herbicides damage plant tissue too quickly, before the plant can move it to the roots.

Up to two-thirds of knotweed biomass exists underground! This is where timing of treatment is everything. Spring treatment isn’t effective. That’s when it’s sending nutrients up to new shoots above ground. It won’t draw an herbicide down at that time of year. A late summer or early fall treatment is best, when it prepares for winter dormancy and carries nutrients back down to the root system (along with the herbicide). For foliar spray, it’s best to wait until after the flowers have passed, and until 2-4 weeks before the first frost. Our new guide shares details on trusted treatment methods and timing windows. You can find it posted here: https://www.pomfretct.gov/conservation-commission/pages/invasive-knotweed-management-guide

Some invasive plants do have successful outcomes with non-herbicidal control. Invasive garlic mustard can be controlled in just a few seasons by pulling the root or cutting before seed is produced. This strategy is feasible because it’s a short-lived biennial plant. The garlic mustard seed bank will be greatly reduced and exhausted over time. Invasive knotweeds are long-lived perennial plants. If no action is taken, it will persist and overtake an area.

For more information, please email [email protected]. Stop by our table at the upcoming Fall Festival to say hello to commission members and ask us any questions!

By Beth Manteuffel, Pomfret Conservation Commission

06/16/2025

Happy pollinator week!

Happy everyone! 🎉🐝🦋🦇 This week marks our 19th consecutive year of bringing greater awareness to the critically important issue of pollinator conservation since we founded the initiative in 2007. Visit our Pollinator Week pages on our website for amazing resources and to learn more at the link in our bio.

We have so many exciting giveaways, announcements, and all things pollinators coming your way this week! Check our page The Pollinator Partnership and Pollinator Partnership Canada's page Pollinator Partnership Canada to stay up to date!

One of the most anticipated events will be the Pollinator Power Party co-hosted with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The virtual party will include riveting case studies, fun activities for all ages, and useful resources to make Pollinator Week every week. Join the party at pollinatorpowerparty.org

04/04/2025

Butterflies are like flying flowers. They add kinetic motion to your garden. Unfortunately they are becoming less common. They are the unintended victims of pesticides like neonicotinoids.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A9XK3zCT2/

03/04/2025

Free program alert!