Northeast Horticultural Services of Stratford will honor Arbor Day, April 29, 2011 at 10:00 am with students from St. Mary – St. Michael School, 14 Seymour Avenue in Derby by planting an Eastern redbud tree, a native flowering tree, and installing a small meadow planting in front of the school.
Not only will this beautify the grounds of the school, but it is intended to be an educational opportunity for the students.
Stacey Marcell, owner of Northeast Horticultural Services, will begin the celebration with a presentation to a group of students from kindergarten through eighth grade about Arbor Day and the important role trees play in our environment.
As part of the presentation, Stacey will show the students the proper way to plant and care for a tree and explain all the benefits trees provide to humans, animals and the earth and why trees are so important to our ecosystem.
Along with planting the new tree, the students will assist Stacey with planting a meadow that will surround the tree and be comprised of native plants.
“We want to teach the children about biodiversity, sustainability and how to be good stewards of the earth. Meadows are great alternatives to lawns since lawns require chemical inputs. We want to teach children that pesticides are not good for the earth,” Stacey said. “The meadow will be planted from native plants, once established will be self-sustaining and will not need chemical inputs to maintain it.”
Stacey’s intent is to have the meadow planting be used as an educational tool going forward. The children will be able to watch the meadow grow and change, observe the activity of the birds, butterflies and insect activity.
Arbor Day is a nationally celebrated observance, established in 1872, that encourages tree planting and care. It is celebrated every year by states and cities at different parts of the year according to the region’s best tree-planting times.
