It was a beautiful morning for stewardship at Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard, and we had our work cut out for us.

After being rained out for a couple of stewardship days, the pollinator garden had been growing vigorously. So much so, that we first got to the garden this morning, it was hard to know where to start.

But with a strong team of volunteers, we soon got to work.

When we hosted our annual plant sale at Ben Nobleman Park this June, one of the visitors introduced herself as Shayndelynne. We quickly learned that she has a passion for monarch butterflies.

Shayndelynne is a volunteer citizen scientist who records monarch sightings as part of the Journey North/Monarch Joint Venture program. Citizen scientists across North America report sightings of monarch eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult butterflies, helping researchers better understand monarch populations and migration patterns.

What a fabulous stewardship day at Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard!

Each year, we prune every one of our fruit trees. It’s an important job that helps keep the trees healthy and productive.

Our goal is to create open canopies where every branch has access to sunlight. Better air circulation allows the trees to dry more quickly after rain, reducing the risk of fungal diseases and helping the trees focus their energy on producing beautiful fruit.

We had a great turnout, and as always, there was lots of laughter and good conversation along with the hard work.