Saturday, July 26, 2008

Before And After: A Meadow Is Born...




I have occasionally alluded to working at a nature preserve. Currently I'm clearing out a meadow, removing invasive brush, preparing to seed the four acre area to create a wildflower meadow (technically an open mesic oak savanna). Already the area (seen before above and currently below) is attracting a wealth of songbirds; indigo buntings, yellowthroat warblers, song and field sparrows, goldfinches, and others. It should be nice.

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Comments:
Hey Don, what is that bloom in the bottom pick. Some sort of thistle? Does it spread like crazy? I ask because my neighbor, whose acreage backs up to my 1/4 acre lot, recently ripped them out all along his side of the fence and I was enjoying their bloom. But then again, they don't much like flowers, anyway, judging from their collection of young cedars.
 
Whew! You have done a wonderful job so far. And your list of wildlife neglected the lovely fritillaries! :-)
 
DO YOU smoke in the garden?

REPEALTHESMOKINGBAN DOT ORG
 
That is hard work! But it will be wonderful (as you know), and thank you for telling us about the birds and butterflies who have already found it. I hope you will do a post series of this project so we can follow it, too. Thanks.
 
Benjamin... thistle. I think it's a pasture thistle.

shady... it's just a start!

Nancy... I'll look into the chicory :o)

Barbee... I will post as I go along, but it will be a process of years.

Don
 
I'm suspecting that it's backbreaking work, but the results are so amazing. It reminds me of one of the "favorite" books I lug with me through one move to another, a little book in French I bought for youngest child when she was in French immersion school and which she showed no interest in at all, called "L'annee des pres" by Irmgard Lucht. In it are lovely drawings of cut-away segments of a field (european) at different times of year. I could ponder those drawings for hours!
I second the motion for a series of posts on the meadows progress!
 
Kati... I will be posting pictures each year as it goes along.
Don
 
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