Juliet Cain is a cofounder of the Darien Pollinator Pathway with Deepika Saksena. The DPP seeks, through events and publications as well as through advocacy at the state and local levels, to help eliminate the use of pesticides in our yards and public spaces and to restore pollinator populations with native plantings. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall.
Darien Pollinator Pathways is a part of a larger undertaking to create a corridor of adjacent properties—private residences and public spaces—that provide safe habitat for birds, bees, butterflies and other insects. The goal is to make Darien one big pollinator pathway with private, commercial and municipal spaces being pesticide free and hosting native plants. Native plants, as opposed to invasives, are plants that existed before Europeans arrived. These plants will be more resilient, low-maintenance and healthy choices for gardens, and will support native insects and birds—enhancing our natural ecosystems.
Juliet has been a resident of Darien for almost 20 years. Since retiring from the practice of law in New York City, she has focused on environmental issues. She served on the Policy on Resilient Forests for CT’s Future (the PRFCT Future) working group 2021-2022 and on the CT GC3 Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry working group in 2022. She was Chair of the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of Darien and Zone Representative for the Conservation Committee of the Garden Club of America 2020-2022. As former Chair of the Darien Beautification Commission, Juliet spearheaded the native plantings on the slopes at the Darien Town Hall. Juliet is also an accredited organic land care professional certified by CT Northeast Organic Farming Association and an Adviser to the Darien Land Trust.
Summary
Rewilding Darien: Juliet Cain’s Inspiring Call to Action for Pollinators and the Planet
At a recent Darien Men’s Association event, environmental advocate Juliet Cain captivated the audience with a dynamic and deeply informative presentation on the critical importance of pollinators, the growing ecological crisis, and how local residents can make a real difference through the Darien Pollinator Pathway. Blending science, policy, humor, and personal stories, Cain outlined a roadmap for restoring biodiversity—starting in our own backyards.
Nature Isn’t Optional—It’s Our Life Support
Opening with a quote from indigenous cultures—where the word for “plant” translates to “those who look after us”—Cain reminded the audience that humans are entirely dependent on nature. Insects, and bees—as pollinators and enablers of plant growth—are essential to our survival. They keep ecosystems functioning, contribute to clean air and water, and pollinate roughly one-third of the crops we eat.
As entomologist E.O. Wilson once put it, insects are “the little things that run the world.” Without them, life on Earth would collapse within weeks. Without humans, on the other hand, the insects would continue to thrive.
A Chain Reaction of Decline
Cain detailed alarming losses in biodiversity:
- 76% decline in flying insects in parts of Europe since the late 1980s.
- 3 billion birds lost in North America since 1970.
- 86 out of 127 butterfly species once common in Darien are now in decline.
- Native bee populations in Connecticut are also down by approximately 50%.
Why? Cain pointed to a few culprits: habitat loss, invasive plant species, climate change, and the pervasive use of harmful pesticides like neonicotinoids.
She also highlighted the staggering environmental cost of our most familiar landscaping feature: the lawn. Turf grass, which supports virtually no biodiversity, consumes 8 billion gallons of water per day in the U.S. and is drenched in over 70 million pounds of pesticides annually.
Native Plants, Native Bees, and New Thinking
Cain emphasized the importance of native plants—species that have evolved over millennia in harmony with local pollinators. For example, native dogwood trees support over 100 species of moths and butterflies, whereas their ornamental counterparts often support none.
She playfully compared Connecticut’s native bees to Wall Street professionals: early-rising, tireless, and effective. By contrast, the non-native honeybee is more of a 9-to-5 commuter. Native bees are better suited to pollinate native plants, many of which can only be pollinated by specific species.
The takeaway? When we plant native, we restore the foundation of the food web and create a ripple effect through the ecosystem—from the soil to the sky.
Pollinator Pathway: A Grassroots Revolution
The Darien Pollinator Pathway is part of a broader 501(c)(3) network that spans over 100 towns across 20 states. It’s a community-driven initiative focused on three pillars:
- Education about the role of pollinators.
- Advocacy for smarter landscaping policies and pesticide reduction.
- Ground-level action: planting native species and removing invasives.
Participants are asked to take a simple pledge: plant at least one native species on their property and avoid synthetic chemicals like herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides.
“We don’t advise on financial disclosures or nature-related dependencies,” Cain joked, referencing recent global sustainability frameworks. “What we do is plant.”
And plant she has. Cain shared her own yard’s transformation—from sterile lawn to buzzing pollinator haven, complete with wildflowers, bees, and even an accidental butterfly-to-the-head guest experience. Her gardens, along with native beds at Darien Town Hall, serve as living examples of ecological restoration in action.
Connecting the Dots: From Backyards to Biodiversity Corridors
The goal of the Pollinator Pathway is to connect isolated pockets of green space with corridors of pollinator-friendly habitat. This is especially important for insects and birds with limited travel range. Cain cited the metallic green sweat bee, which can only fly about 500 feet—a single parking lot or housing development could become an insurmountable barrier.
By creating small pollinator patches, Darien residents can help form an interconnected web that supports both local and migrating species, including monarch butterflies on the Atlantic Flyway.
What You Can Do
Cain concluded with a call to action, urging everyone to rethink their landscaping habits:
- Convert part of your lawn into a native garden.
- Replace turf with clover or long grass paths.
- Support nurseries that grow true native species—not sterile cultivars.
- Avoid pesticides, even if they’re marketed as “safe.”
She recommended resources such as PollinatorPathway.org, native plant nursery Earth Tones, and Planet Wild for landscape design. For DIY gardeners, she pointed to video tutorials from New Directions in the American Landscape.
Even a single plant makes a difference. “Do it for the bees. Do it for the birds. Do it for the air and the water,” she said. “And if nothing else, do it because it will bring you joy.”