Saplings of native species being planted at the nectar garden on the premises of the office of District Forest Officer in Coimbatore on Monday.
A nectar garden with native plants to support pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths is taking shape in Coimbatore. The first-of-its-kind initiative is being developed on a plot of over 3,000 sq.ft. on the premises of the office of the District Forest Officer (DFO-Coimbatore).A joint initiative by the Coimbatore Forest Division, Centre for Urban Biodiversity and Education (CUBE) and Rotary Club of Coimbatore Cotton City, the nectar garden will have around 1,200 nectar plants of 15 to 18 native species.DFO N. Vengatesh Prabhu inaugurated the initiative by planting saplings of native nectar plants along with R.S. Maruthi, district governor, Rotary International (District 3206); Ajay Gupta, project in-charge from Rotary Club of Coimbatore Cotton City; Forest Department officials, students and representatives from CUBE.Lauding the initiative, Mr. Prabhu wanted CUBE and Rotary International to set up similar gardens at about 200 locations.Vinny Peter from CUBE said the organisation came up with the idea after a year-long research on native nectar plants. CUBE will monitor the garden to assess how it is becoming beneficial for different pollinators.“Pollinators are indicators of a healthy environment. The idea is to create such gardens at multiple locations in the city and increase the green cover, creating a corridor for pollinators. Our aim is to include at least 100 species of native plants in such gardens,” she said.While some of the butterfly parks feature exotic plants, including the invasive Lantana camara, the nectar garden has non-proliferating native Lantana. White Leadwort, Green Shrimp Plant and Golden Eye Grass are among the other native plants.Institutions, companies, residential associations and individuals who wish to set up similar nectar gardens in Coimbatore can contact CUBE at 74488-72233. Published - July 06, 2026 08:39 pm IST
