You can get a free red bud seedling, which displays beautiful pea-shaped red or purple flowers, from Friends of the Sayville Library Inc.’s Arbor Day Enhance Your Space promotion.
But register to make sure you get one. (Go to www.sayvillelibrary.org and navigate to the events calendar. Or call 631-589-4440.)
“The seedling and care instructions will be in the bag,” said Jonathan Pryer, head of outreach services, holding up a brown bag with flyers.
Friends of the Sayville Library purchased the seedlings from the Arbor Day Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Nebraska.
“One of our board members, Theresa Heid, found a way for us to celebrate Arbor Day on April 22,” said Friends president Lorraine Martin. “She contacted the foundation in Nebraska and we decided to purchase the red bud seedlings.”
The red bud seedling is a native plant that thrives in the Northeast, furthering its importance, especially now with an emphasis on native plants.
“We’re giving them to residents of our community to plant in their gardens,” Martin continued. “The whole program is under Earth Day.”
Martin launched into the reasons. Trees capture carbon and slow down warming, not to mention provide homes to birds and beneficial insects. “By plantng trees, we become stewards,” Martin added.
The pickup date for registrants is Friday, April 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the library’s rear garden and Saturday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., same place.
The Friends kicked in $200 for the seedlings, which are free to residents, but donations are always appreciated. And also new members. (Individual is $15, Family is $25, Senior $10 each, Business $50.)
Libraries represent a kind of holy, uplifting place, and the Friends’ mission is to promote and encourage community support and goodwill for the Sayville Library.
Among its membership advantages are free museum passes to several locations including the Intrepid and Old Westbury Gardens, discounted tickets to the Bronx Zoo, Long Island Aquarium, County Fair and Splish-Splash, book club prizes, updating equipment, two annual scholarship awards to graduating library pages and staff appreciation events.
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