Special afternoon

Volunteers will help expand the Macphail Woods Native Plant Arboretum

The Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project will host a volunteer afternoon on Saturday, Aug. 19, 1-4 p.m., at the Macphail Homestead in Orwell. Come out and help expand the native plant arboretum, one of the most beautiful settings for native plants in the province. Anyone interested in native plants, wildlife enhancement or Acadian forests is encouraged to attend.

The plantings will be used in educational activities for young and old. They will also improve wildlife habitat, increase biodiversity and provide future seed sources for both rare and common native plants.

The newest area of the arboretum already has large beds of swamp milkweed, yellow coneflower, wild rose, eastern hemlock – a whole range of beautiful plants. Eventually, the goal is to have most of the Island’s native plant species represented, highlighting the trees, shrubs, wildflowers and ferns of the Acadian forest region. Macphail Woods staff will be on-site to lead the work, and there will be lots of shovels and other tools available.

Besides the planting, participants will be weeding and mulching the existing beds, so there will be lots of opportunities to help.

This event is part of an extensive series of outdoor activities at Macphail Woods, a project of the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island. For more information on this or upcoming events, call 902-651-2575, visit macphailwoods.org or check out the homestead’s Facebook page. The Veranda Café at the Macphail Homestead will be serving light lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Visitors can have a taste of the Macphail’s Scottish background using produce grown in the gardens on site.