Urban Oasis – Trees, Bees, and Pawpaws, Oh My!

It was a perfect spring day as the ERT Foundation partnered with Norfolk’s Department of Housing and Community Development to bring an environmental workshop to the community. Our friends from Kindred joined us at the ERT’s Pocket Park on Park and Lovitt Avenues to learn about the history of that space, identify trees and native plants, and learn how important plants and pollinators are to building a resilient Norfolk.

We had such a lovely time watching the seeds of friendship get planted and fertilized by a shared curiosity. We spent a lot of time trying to identify trees the old fashioned way through a tree key and then used modern tools like Seek and i-Naturalist. We were delighted to find the Paw Paw trees planted three years ago are bearing fruit! We learned about native pollinators while acting like those very creatures, bopping around the garden smelling and loving on each plant with tenderness and joy. We want to give a special thanks to the congregation of The New Saint James Holiness Church of Christ Disciples for all of their support of the trail, this workshop, and their stewardship of the Pocket Park.