Germantown Vacant Lot Pollinator Garden

A brief story of our work

Our third Monarch Defenders project in Philadelphia is the revitalization of a vacant lot in East Germantown into a native pollinator garden and community green space. Located at the intersection of E Armat St X Morton St, the lot was originally a square of unused grass with little value for nature or the community. In partnership with Philadelphia Horticultural Society and the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability’s Climate Resilience Youth Council, we installed the initial native planting in May 2026. We worked with community members and volunteers, including Germantown Kitchen Garden, AgroTheraPA, and local neighbors to plant over 200 plants of many native species, including common milkweed, butterfly weed, wild bergamot, orange coneflower, anise hyssop, and New England aster, making the lot a monarch and pollinator waystation. We also are in the process of installing interpretive signage to build community awareness about the impact of native plantings.

This June we continued our work at the lot by installing a hand-made wood bench for the community and planting several native shrubs and small trees, including black elderberry, red-osier dogwood, chokeberry, and buttonbush. Our plantings and similar projects play an important role in our city’s climate resilience, making communities more able to adapt to increased rainfall and heat. Unlike traditional lawn grass, native meadow plants have deep roots that can absorb excess rainwater, reducing urban flooding during storms while filtering pollution. In addition, bringing more vegetation, especially trees and shrubs, to heavily urban areas, is crucial in combatting the urban heat island effect by providing shade and evapotranspiration. We hope to experience these positive impacts as our plantings mature… and to see more monarchs and other pollinators return to the urban environment!