Butterflyway Project

The Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative is partnering with Windsor residents and institutions to create a "butterflyway" downtown Windsor!

A butterflyway is a neighbourhood-scale corridor of habitat for butterflies, bees and beneficial insects. These habitats are being created in the form of butterfly gardens, each certified as a "Monarch Waystation" by the organization Monarch Watch. This butterflyway is important because some of our native bees and butterflies, like the Monarch butterfly, have become endangered due to loss of habitat. Butterfly gardens are also beautiful and vibrant additions to the neighbourhood!

Our short term goal is to help create a dozen butterfly gardens within our project area, in order to become recognized by the David Suzuki Foundation.

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Want to join the butterflyway? You can plant a butterfly garden in your yard and the Downtown Windsor Community Collaborative can help. Contact sarah@dwcc.ca.

Following is map of our habitats; some are new and in-development while others are thriving already.

For more information, please visit the following links:

	David Suzuki Foundation Butterflyway Project
	Monarch Watch Monarch Waystation program description Monarch Watch Monarch Waystation requirements
	Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
	Xerces Society, A guide to Monarch Conservation
	Growing a Greener World, episode 804 "Gardening for Butterflies & Other Beneficial Insects"
	Monarchs Migrating Through Ontario Facebook Group

The 2018 Windsor Public Library Workshop Series

Join knowledgeable volunteers from the Windsor/ Essex County Community Garden Collective and learn all about what you can do in your "back yard"! Our 2018 Windsor Public Library Workshop Series is sure to make your experience growing and cultivating a better.

No registration is necessary in order to attend. Just bring your self and your curiosity!

Check out the series' Facebook Event here.

Clueless In The Garden: A Beginner's Guide To Gardening
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
May 5, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Clueless In The Garden: A Beginner's Guide To Gardening
Forest Glade Branch 3211 Forest Glade Drive
May 9, 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Fermenting For The Home And Garden
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
May 26, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Balcony Garden Workshop
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
May 30, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Potting Plants: Creating Beautiful And Lasting Flower Pots
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
June 5, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Fermenting: Yogurt And More
Forest Glade Branch 3211 Forest Glade Drive
June 11, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Foraging For Native Wild Plants
Chisholm Branch 1075 Ypres Avenue
June 12, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Fermenting: Kraut, Kimchi And More
Chisholm Branch 1075 Ypres Avenue
July 7, 3:00 - 4:30 pm

Vermicomposting: Composting With Worms
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
July 18, 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Vermicomposting: Composting With Worms
Riverside Branch 6305 Wyandotte Street East
July 21, 11 am - Noon

Fermenting: Home Brewing For Easy Beer, Wine, Cider And More
Central Branch 850 Ouellette Avenue
August 11, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Fermenting Workshop: Pickles, Vegetables And Fruits
Budimir Branch 1310 Grand Marais Road West
August 29, 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Seed packing work day

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Windsor Public Library Central branch on Saturday to help us prepare the branch's Seed Library seed stock for the year.

We are always looking for more seeds; so if you have any to share, please let us know!

Windsor/ Essex County Community Garden Collective Spring Meeting

The WECCGC Spring Meeting was held on Tuesday, March 6 at the Windsor Public Library Central branch, followed by a workshop conducted by our own Steve Green. Steve talked our friends through the process of starting your vegetable garden plants from seed with a great Q & A afterwards. We had both novices and experienced gardeners in the house and had a wonderful time talking about how we can all take simple, frugal steps towards greatly improving our health and well-being.

We have compiled a list of books - available now from the Windsor Public Library - that are great resources for learning more about seed saving and starting your plants from seed. If you have any suggestions for books either at the Windsor Public Library or available elsewhere, please drop us a line and let us know!
http://bit.ly/2DFFXCM

We had also discussed some of our preferred sources for seeds, worm castings and other materials. Here are some of the highlights:

Windsor Wholesale Bait sells worm castings ridiculously cheap. They are at 500 Northwood Street in Windsor and their phone number is (519) 966-8540. http://canadiannightcrawlers.com

Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority is a great place to find planters. Most plastic planters are not recyclable and the processing plant removes them. http://ewswa.org

(We'll do a bit of research and post back here shortly with some good sources for seedlings.)

And of course, you can use the seed libraries at one of the Windsor Public Library branches that have them to find whatever seeds you need! http://www.wegarden.ca/p/seed-library.html