Hopkins Park Wildlife Area

City Of
Gilbert

City Government

Area Attractions

In case you haven't checked out the renovated flower bed as Hopkins Park~ come take a look!!

The improvements to this bed and the addition of a "Wildlife Pond" is must see attraction of Gilbert.

Nature Area Project

The improvements to this bed and the addition of a wildlife pond to the Park were funded by the School Nature Area Project Grant awarded to Gilbert Junior High School. Various members of the community and City Government have donated time, plants, labor and expertise to this project to help beautify the Park, improve habitat for wildlife and provide a place of learning for children.

After a year covered with black plastic to kill the quack grass, the flower bed was planted this spring with plants intended to attract birds and butterflies. Plants which supply butterflies with nectar are typically flat flowers like daisies, of which many types were planted. The shrubs in the bed include a honeysuckle for the hummingbirds and berry producing bushes for songbirds. Watch for goldfinches feeding on the tall perennial sunflowers after they go to seed at the end of summer. Five species of butterflies have been seen neutering in the flower bed at one time, and bumblebees have been prevalent as well. This colorful bed is like an oasis in the desert for those insects making their way through the Park. Some of the plants in the bed, like swamp milkweed and borage, were chosen to provide food for the larval stages (caterpillars) of specific butterflies. These plants were successful! There were larvae of Monarch and Painted Lady Butterflies feeding on these plants in July. This means that the plants become a little tattered with holes, but that is their purpose in the flower bed. Maybe you will see a butterfly hatch if you visit the Park.

The pond vegetation will develop over several years. The seeds from over a hundred native plant species were sown around the pond since last fall. Many of these plants have germinated and are in the seeding stage this year. Water plants were planted in the pond this month and will be visible by the end of the summer. Cattails were intentionally not planted in the pond due to their invasive nature.

The plants chosen or this area are native to Minnesota and will serve as food and cover for all types of wildlife. If you have visited the pond you probably noticed many types of water bugs, more butterflies, and even fish! Soon we will have a log for basking turtles, and waterlily pads for sunbathing frogs. If you check on the pond periodically, you will see many interesting and beautiful plants develop at the site. Additional landscaping of the terrain in this area will take place this summer to make foot traffic around the pond a little safer.

Special "Thank You"

Thank you again to the many contributors of this project. If you haven't visited Hopkins Park in a while, check it out! Continued interest in this project is necessary to keep it maintained in the years to come.