Prästgårdsparken

Prästgårdsparken is a park in central Vallentuna, located between Vallentuna church and Vallentuna center. When Väsbyvägen was placed underground in 2013, the area between Vallentuna center and Vallentuna church was connected. This made room for Prästgårdsparken on top of the tunnel. Prästgårdsparken is the new entrance to Björkby-Kyrkviken, the nature reserve on Lake Vallentuna. It is also through the park that you walk or cycle to get between the center and southern Vallentuna.

The park has a classic rounded shape surrounded by multi-stemmed shrub trees with beautiful autumn color. The park contains various shrubs and trees including maples and hornbeam trees. In the park there is also space to sit down on benches for the stroller.

**Renovation of perennial beds to promote biodiversity

The park's eight perennial beds were refurbished in 2017 by the Streets and Parks Department with new soil and perennials. The plants were designed to attract bees, bumblebees and butterflies as well as to be attractive to visitors. Some examples of perennials that have been planted are rose flock, fairies, sweet pea, red and white coneflower, sage, creeping rose, lavender and ornamental grass. In 2018, we added more plants to attract even more insects, such as blue ball thistle and aniseed.

In the spring of 2019, the Streets and Parks Department installed an insect hotel in one of the perennial plantings and created a sand bed for bees.

In the summer of 2019, two years later, the Streets and Parks Department carried out an inventory together with Ekologigruppen AB to see if the concept for the plantings worked and which plants attracted which pollinators. The inventory found a total of 42 different species, bees, bumblebees and butterflies. 13 conservation species, including the grass bumblebee, midsummer blue butterfly and the red-listed black fur bee Anthophora retusa.

In autumn 2019, we also planted more crocuses in the park to benefit insects that wake up in early spring.

In the summer of 2020, one of the shrub plantings was converted into a summer flower bed where we planted summer flowers that attract pollinators. More insect hotels were installed in the park and plant name signs for the perennials were placed in the park. This is so that visitors can see which plants are planted in the beds.

**Future projects in the park

• Information board about the park will be placed.
• More bulbs of e.g. crocus will be planted for bees and bumblebees waking up in early spring.
• Some of the grass areas in the park will be mowed less often to benefit biodiversity.