Following 9 straight days of rain in East Tennessee this February, I have spring fever! As a result, I have been looking back at some of my favorite photographs and thinking about the warm weather that will be coming soon. My favorite photographs are of nature, of course! In this post, I will share a few of them from my Pollinator Meadow Project.
A few years ago, I began to learn about the design and planting of meadows for pollinator habitat. My first meadow was planned for a half-acre of overgrown old field along the Powell River. I will outline the steps we took to transform the early succession field into a meadow in another blog post. Today, I want to share photos of the flowers and insects that have come to the meadow as a result of the project.
Native Plants
This past summer was the third year since seeding the meadow. It takes a few years for a newly seeded native habitat to mature and fill in completely. This meadow is planted with a mixture of native warm season grasses and forbs. Each season, the emerging plant mixture changes.
Meadow Phlox
Joe Pye
Annuals like black eyed susan were abundant the first growing season. The native grasses were slow to show up because they were putting all their energy into developing a strong root system. And some natives must have remained dormant in the soil then sprouted on their own once the trees were cleared. I can’t wait to see the meadow this spring!
pollinators and other insects
It is wonderful to meander through the meadow to see the insects, flowers and birds that it attracts.
Hover Fly
Bee on Sneezeweed
Bee and Moth
A recent article from the National Geographic details the decline of insects and why it is important for us to protect them and provide native habitat.
