On the side of the Monadnock Rail Trail, a small side trail leads to an open meadow which for the past six years has been managed by the Rindge Conservation Commission, which is striving to make it a haven for local pollinators.

“If you’re standing back, it looks almost barren. It’s really not,” said Conservation Commission member Deni Dickler. “It’s alive with native plants.”

On Wednesday, children from the Rindge Recreation Department sought to add to the lively landscape of winterberry, club moss, highbush and lowbush blueberry, mountain laurel, violet and cinquefoil by spreading seeds of native wildflower mixes.

Karen Chemello, director of the department’s Before and Afterschool Program, said it’s part of the program’s A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That club, which this year has been focusing on community efforts. They have planted flowers at the Recreation Department and participated in the Summerhill Assisted Living’s reading, Halloween and Easter programs.

Chemello said teaching the children about pollinators, how they contribute to the food cycle and the importance of maintaining native bee populations is something she has been talking about with the children for years, with activities like planting flowers a way to help put those thoughts to action.

“We’re also teaching the value of trying to protect the bees and the butterflies and the pollinators in this area so that we have all our natural beings doing their work,” Chemello said. “They need to learn that food isn’t just at the grocery store, and it has a beginning, and they can be part of that. They can plant gardens at home, and grow their own fruits and vegetables.”

The club hiked to the pollinator garden on Wednesday, where Dickler provided the seeds for them to plant and water. She said the natural plants that grow in meadows like the one off the rail trail are important for New Hampshire’s bird, bee, butterfly and other pollinator populations, and that was the goal of preserving this open area.

“We’re making a concerted effort to keep the vegetation native, because that’s what helps the birds here, and the other wildlife, because those are the plants they need and have grown up with for centuries and millions of years,” Dickler said.

Dickler said she grew her own love of nature and gardening with her grandfather, helping him plant his summer wildflower and vegetable patches.

“It was just a burst of color. And when I grew up, I started gardening and taught my daughter to garden,” Dickler said. Now, she said, showing other children that same love is part of what she likes to do.

“I’m a strong believer in teaching kids what nature is, exposing them and teaching them how to care for native areas, so they grow up and pass that on to others,” Dickler said.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.