When summer begins it’s quick and hot demise, our gardens are graced with the final flourishes of color, and beautiful butterflies. A well-kept secret in southeastern Connecticut is the Butterfly-Pollinator Garden at Cohen Woodlands in Colchester. Certified as a Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation, Cohen Woods is the perfect setting for this gorgeous public garden, which is open year around.

From mid-season through September, the garden blooms with perennials, annuals, and shrubs that were all chosen for one specific purpose: to attract and nourish and support our pollinator populations. Astilbe, Bee Balm, Milkweed, Coneflowers, Hyssop, and Shasta Daisies are only a few of the summer-blooming plants that attract myriad butterflies. One can see many butterfly species familiar in Connecticut: Swallowtails, Whites, Sulphurs, Coppers, Fritillaries, Admirals, and Monarchs among others. The wealth of nectar and pollen also attracts other important pollinators such as bees, moths, and hummingbirds.

The garden is situated near a lovely pond and provides views of the natural habitat meadow that stretches to the back of the woodlands property. A small gazebo offers a shady place to sit and enjoy a picnic in the peaceful setting. There is plenty of parking, a portable restroom, and a large presentation kiosk with all the information one might want to know about the garden.

All this beauty is a labor of love for members of the Colchester Garden Club, and generously funded through grants by the Connecticut Master Gardener Association. The garden is a community treasure, well appreciated by locals and visitors alike.

The Butterfly-Pollinator Garden at Cohen Woodlands is located on McDonald Road, off route 354 in Colchester, Connecticut. There is no sign at McDonald Road. If you’d like to know more, contact the Colchester Garden Club at colchestergardenclub@yahoo.com.

This article and photographs were provided by Toni Leland, a Connecticut freelance writer and Master Gardener in southeastern Connecticut. She is available for assignment on a wide range of subjects: travel, history, nature, gardening, wildlife, cooking, writing, horses, and outdoor living to name a few.

Toni’s fiction has appeared in several anthologies, magazines, and various writing newsletters,and she keeps up with the writing community through her Facebook page, as well as membership in Sisters In Crime and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.

Visit her website www.tonileland.com and contact her by email for further information.