Blue Heron Park’s new Butterfly Garden celebrated in Eastbluff

Newport Beach’s Eastbluff community celebrated the opening of their Butterfly Garden, the newest addition to Blue Heron Park, at a garden party on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. Designed and planted by The Pollinator Protection Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the garden features flowering California native plants such as buckwheat, lilac verbena, sundrops and seaside daisies nestled amid grasses and milkweed. 

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Photos by Jim LaMotte

(L-R) City Councilmember Robyn Grant and Sharon Esterley celebrating the opening of the new Butterfly Garden at Blue Heron Park, Eastbluff

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Laura and Michael Ford, founders of the Pollinator Protection Fund

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Ron Vanderhoff, manager of Roger’s Gardens, spoke about the importance of biodiversity

Ron Vanderhoff, manager of Roger’s Gardens and chairman of Plant Science for the Orange County Chapter of the Native Plant Society, spoke at the event about the importance of biodiversity. Wildlife populations have declined by an average of 69% in the past 50 years. He praised the planting of California native plants which help preserve not only plant species but wildlife and birds species as well, by providing food and habitat. Michael and Laura Ford, founders of the Pollinator Protection Fund, were praised for their work which created the lovely garden in two locations at the park. A colorful educational sign describes the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, and includes California Native Bee facts and some of the plants included in the garden, as well as names of major donors to the project.

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This educational sign describes the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, includes California Native Bee facts, some plants in the garden and project major donors

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(L-R) NMUSD School Board Member Carol Crane and Kim Yourman

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(L-R) Laura Ford, Eastbluff HOA Board President Ron Rubino and HOA Board Member Tom Roche

Attendees included Newport City Councilmember Robyn Grant, Newport-Mesa School Board Member Carol Crane, members of the Newport-Balboa Rotary Club, volunteers from Irvine Ranch Conservancy and Catherine Dickson, education director at Sherman Gardens. Girl Scouts from Our Lady Queen of Angels’ Girl Scouts Juniors Troop 7492 generously donated their time to make caterpillar and butterfly crafts with children attending. 

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Girl Scouts from Our Lady Queen of Angels’ Juniors Troop 7492 check out the Little Free Library

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Laura and Tom Roche

Champagnes Kitchen provided snacks including avocado toast, sandwiches, pizza and chocolate chip cookies. The Tree of Life Nursery, which supplied many of the plants for the garden, also sold California native plants to attendees. Visitors browsed butterfly and gardening books offered for sale by Michelle Pierce of Lido Village Books, and kids and adults picked up books from the park’s Little Free Library. The garden was funded by the Eastbluff Homeowners Association, generous residents and local businesses. 

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The newly planted pollinator garden was funded by the Eastbluff Homeowners Association, generous residents and local businesses