Mer's Native Plant
Bird & Butterfly Garden
Located directly in front of the Nature Center building, this garden was created as a memorial to Marabeth Storrs Finn in the spring of 2001. This garden showcases Connecticut native plants that attract butterflies, providing them with food and a place to lay their eggs. The garden also serves as a haven for small birds that relish in the bountiful food and shelter the garden brings year-round.
Funded through a grant from the Silvio Conte Fish & Wildlife Foundation, the garden was developed to demonstrate the beauty of our native plants in a garden setting. These native plants are well adapted to Connecticut’s climate and thrive with little additional watering and minimal care. The garden is at its peak late June to September.
Finding a place for these plants in your home landscape will not only add beauty and movement to your garden but will help create critical habitat for the amazing butterflies and birds that live in here in Connecticut.
For a list of the native plants in our bird and butterfly gardens, click here.
For a checklist of the butterflies seen at Roaring Brook and vicinity, click here.
For additional information on Connecticut’s butterflies and native plants, please visit the following sites:
For what NOT to plant in your garden, click here.
Porritt Wildflower Trail
This garden was created in memory of Lonnie and Phyllis Porritt, long-time supporters of the Nature Center and lovers of wildlife. What started as a small trail, has been expanded and enhanced through the generous efforts of the Cherry Brook Garden Club of Canton. The garden is at its peak in spring, when the short-lived blooms fill the walkway. The rest of the year, the garden serves as a habitat for small mammals and birds.
