Fall is a time for working in the garden! It is a great time of year to plant trees, shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs. Check out the many native plant sales at nearby nature centers, Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve or other native plant nurseries and plant natives in your yard to help birds, pollinators and butterflies.
Remember to leave leaves in your garden beds to help over-wintering pupa, butterfly chrysalis, fireflies and other insects that rely on this leaf litter layer for their survival. Also leave stems of perennials for use by native bees and other insects for overwintering as well. Forgo flowerbed clean-up (unless you have a disease or pest problem) until late spring so that birds and insects can use seed heads as food throughout the fall and winter and find shelter in patches of stems and native grasses.
Fall is also a time to repair or work on lawn areas if necessary. If you need to work on any lawn areas, please consider organic methods of refurbishing or feeding your lawn, reducing your use of harmful chemicals. Or consider reducing the amount of lawn you have altogether by removing some turf and adding other planting areas to your property.
In more garden news, Morrisville currently has a group of residents working to bring a community garden to the borough. The group is in the initial phases of this endeavor and are looking for more residents to get involved with the project as volunteers. If you are interested, please contact Kim Lawton at Mrsguindin@gmail.com or Maria Casale at: Casalemaria67@gmail.com.
There will be upcoming tree planting projects and clean-ups directed by the Morrisville Environmental Advisory Council (MEAC), dates are to be announced so please watch for more information on social media and on Morrisville Borough sites for these activities.
MEAC meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 7 pm, upstairs at Borough Hall , 35 Union Street in Morrisville with entry to the building from the police parking lot entrance only. This is another area in which you can volunteer and engage in positive activities to help our borough. Please consider attending meetings, voicing your environmental concerns and getting involved in making Morrisville a more beautiful, environmentally healthy and friendlier borough.
Morrisville Bird Town has partnered with the PA Game Commission and the Borough of Morrisville to bring three types of bird house structures to Morrisville including three Prothonotary Warbler houses, a large Purple Martin Condo Structure and soon a Chimney Swift Tower. The two larger house structures will also feature educational signage also provided by the Game Commission. The Morrisville Bird Town coordinator, several EAC members and some members of the Lower Makefield Bird Town toured Morrisville with PA Game Commission biologist, Stefan Karkuff, to determine the best sites for these structures based on the different bird species’ preferred habitat requirements. These beautiful structures are free to the borough with some work and concrete needed at the time of installation. All three bird species are known for their consumption of insects and have historically resided within the Borough limits.
Morrisville Bird Town is part of the greater statewide program, Bird Town Pennsylvania, (more information about the program can be found at birdtownpa.org/. Please join Morrisville Bird Town on Facebook and volunteer on our local Bird Town projects and group!
Morrisville Bird Town and the MEAC encourage each resident to consider planting a native tree or shrub in their yard to: help the birds, butterflies and bees; reduce stormwater runoff; sequester carbon; provide shade; provide habitat; beautify our borough; reduce heat island effects; help create green beltways; reduce fragmentation and more! A list of native trees and shrubs can be found on both organization’s social media and on the Morrisville Borough website.
Also remember there are many free native plant seeds available through the Bucks County Seed Share at our own Morrisville Public Library; just look up the best way and time to plant each type of seed for the best germination success!
If you have any questions, reach out to a Bucks County Master Gardener or Master Watershed Steward either locally (we have a couple in the Borough) or through the Bucks County Cooperative Extension Office Hotline at 267-483-2022. Please leave a detailed voicemail with your question or concern, along with your contact information and they will get back to you as soon as they can.
Also email bucksmg@psu.edu, and send a detailed email with your question or concern, and up to three digital photos that may help them understand the problem or question better.
Happy fall planting and gardening everyone!
