Native to Long Island
Coastal Plain Joe Pye Weed
Eutrochium dubium
Dusty-pink domes in late summer that swallowtails and monarchs swarm. Ours is the compact 'Baby Joe' selection.
JanBlooms Jul–SepDec
Installation No. 3 · November 23, 2024
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
A steel pollinator planter at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center in Oyster Bay, completed November 23, 2024 as Ben Ellis's Eagle Scout project with Troop 170.
The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary is the oldest Audubon songbird sanctuary in the country, and Audubon had already welcomed Pollinate Happiness to share the project at its annual native plant sale. Installing a planter on the grounds was a natural next step.
Ben Ellis led this installation as his Eagle Scout project with Scout Troop 170. The steel planter, engraved with a dandelion going to seed, sits along a stepping-stone path where sanctuary visitors and school groups pass on the way to the trails.
The plant list was chosen with the sanctuary's birds in mind as well as pollinators: coastal plain Joe Pye weed for late-summer butterflies, a compact goldenrod for fall bees, and phlox for hummingbirds and swallowtails. All three are native to Long Island.
Visiting
- The sanctuary grounds and trails are open daily; the center building has posted hours.
- Use the what3words link to walk straight to the planter.
- Bring binoculars. The sanctuary is a songbird refuge, and the planter's phlox and Joe Pye weed draw hummingbirds and swallowtails.
See more
Learn about the project
Learn about the plants
What's growing at Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary
Native to Long Island
Goldenrod
Solidago spp.
The most important late-season nectar source in the Northeast, and it does not cause hay fever.
JanBlooms Aug–OctDec
Native to Long Island
Phlox
Phlox spp.
Fragrant clusters of five-petaled flowers, from ground-hugging spring moss phlox to tall summer garden phlox.
JanBlooms Mar–AugDec
Photo gallery
Building and planting
Find it
Map
More installations
Visit the others
No. 1 · June 2021Wawapek Preserve
Cold Spring Harbor, NY · Suffolk County
Our very first native pollinator planter bench, installed in June 2021 at the North Shore Land Alliance's Wawapek Preserve with a grant from Bethpage Federal Credit Union's Difference Makers program.
Visit this installation
No. 2 · October 4, 2023Hicksville Public Library
Hicksville, NY · Nassau County
A pollinator planter outside the Hicksville Public Library, installed in October 2023 with the support of Nice-Planter and recognized with a citation from the Nassau County Legislature.
Visit this installation
No. 4 · Fall 2025Nassau County Museum of Art
Roslyn Harbor, NY · Nassau County
A wheelchair-accessible sensory planter and a set of songbird nest boxes at the Nassau County Museum of Art's William Cullen Bryant Preserve, built with Scout Troop 170 and materials donated by The Home Depot.
Visit this installation
No. 5 · September 28, 2026Syosset High School
Syosset, NY · Nassau County
A Corten steel pollinator planter with a laser-cut aluminum artwork plaque at the front of Syosset High School, coordinated and designed by Aidan Ellis and planted with the Syosset High School Environmental Club.
Visit this installationFor the plaque and classroom
- Field-trip sheet · printable, one page, with a seasonal checklist
- QR code for the sign · SVG, or high-resolution PNG
Support the project
Help us plant the next one
Grants and private sponsorships pay for the steel, soil, and native plants. Every planter bench becomes a permanent, public lesson in why native plants matter, and every dollar goes toward the next one.