Fort Missoula garden educates community on native species

Hewston worked by herself on Friday but said volunteers are always welcome whether they're a seasoned gardener or someone just looking to spend some time outside. In addition to weeding, volunteers have helped thin golden currant, snowberry and chokecherry — which are native plants.

"We've got an abundance of chokecherry and golden currant, and if we let it, it will swarm this garden, which is exciting but then we lose a lot of other species," Hewston said.

After thinning the chokecherry, Hewston pulled some with roots for a regular volunteer to take home and plant in his garden. The garden also contains other native species such as yarrow, figwort and a larch tree with baby pine cones and a hummingbird that likes to perch at the very top.

Another pasture contains numerous milkweed plants, which Monarch butterflies need to survive. Hewston said a group that visited the other day found seven Monarch eggs "which is a big deal because we're right on the verge of where that Monarch territory is."

"That's just exciting to see because we're creating a wildlife habitat for this rare species that no one hardly sees in this area," Hewston said.

Hewston said she was inspired to get involved in the National Wildlife Federation by their Garden for Wildlife program, which shows homeowners, schools and businesses how to garden in a way that fosters a habitat for wildlife. The program teaches, for example, how to incorporate food sources in a garden that last all year so animals have a food source throughout the winter. 

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