On July 20, after weeks of intense heat and sporadic thunderstorms, the sky was clear and the weather was cool as a monarch butterfly traveled from flower to flower in Tammy’s Garden.

Its orange and black wings fluttered as it made its colorful presence known to Protect Our Pollinators (POP) members Mary Wilson, Joan Cominski, and Sarah Middeleer, who were visiting the garden that afternoon to see the many plant identification markers that were recently set up.

Tammy’s Garden, located in the large courtyard on the north side of the Newtown Municipal Center, was designed by Middeleer and installed in 2019 as a tribute to beloved Newtown resident Tammy Hazen, who passed away in December 2015.

Wilson told The Newtown Bee that Hazen was “a long-time employee of the Land Use Department whose big smile and loving heart touched everyone who knew her. Tammy loved gardens, butterflies, and other pollinators, and had wanted to join POP.”

After her untimely death, the community came together to ensure that the positive impact she made during her lifetime would never be forgotten.

Individuals and local foundations generously donated money and plants for her garden. Then volunteers and members of Newtown Parks & Recreation came out to help with the planting.

Today, Hazen’s legacy lives on through a flourishing garden that consists of native plants and attracts a wide range of pollinators, such as butterflies and bees.

According to Wilson, the garden is currently maintained by POP members, as well as several garden club members and master gardeners who volunteer their time and talents.

Cominski led the initiative to put up professional-looking plant identification markers in the garden. She oversaw the process of ordering them and their installation in late June.

It was important to POP because, as Wilson explained, “Marking the native plants with their common and botanical names seemed like a good way to develop interest and provide information to the public about attractive native plantings.”

The signs are a few inches big and attached to metal posts placed securely in the ground.

Wilson said, “The garden has ten native trees (two white oaks, four basswoods, two hackberries, and two serviceberries), as well as many native shrubs, including winterberry, blackhaw viburnum, red and black chokeberry, red twig dogwood, and American cranberrybush viburnum. Some of the native perennials include butterfly weed, penstemon, blue-eyed grass, cardinal flower, asters, mountain mint, and many others. Little bluestem and purple love grass are two native grasses in the garden.

POP made a conscious effort to use native plants in Tammy’s Garden, because they are best suited to support the needs of local pollinators, insects, and bird populations.

In addition to native plants, Wilson said, “Hundreds of spring bulbs were also planted. While not native, they provide valuable pollinator resources in the early spring and joy to human visitors tired of winter.”

Cominski pointed out that there is almost always “something in bloom.”

For nearly the entire time Wilson, Cominski, and Middeleer were at the garden that day, the monarch butterfly could be spotted nearby.

In Mexico, the butterfly is considered a symbol of the spirit. During the monarchs’ migration south, they can be seen on Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) and are believed to be spirits of their ancestors coming to visit.

Later that week, Middeleer reminisced, “I have no idea if Tammy’s soul was stopping by to greet us on Tuesday (and the scientific part of my brain says it’s because they love purple coneflower), but it’s really wonderful that we could plant a garden in memory of Tammy and that it would bring the creatures that she loved!”

The public is encouraged to stop by and enjoy the serenity of Tammy’s Garden. There are benches and a picnic table on site.

While a temporary sign is currently in place in one of the front garden beds, Wilson says an official dedication plaque has been ordered and will arrive soon. Once it is placed in the garden, there will be a formal dedication ceremony for Hazen’s relatives and friends to attend.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.