Trust the Process

“Hey, why did you stop mowing that part of your land?”

We don’t have a huge property, but we are lucky to own about two acres in a rural part of Berks County. Better yet, one side of our property flanks nearly 20 acres of woodland.

For 50 years, the property has been mowed all the way up to the neighboring tree line. But before that, this land was a meadowed orchard. Years of mowing not to keep trim a turf lawn, but to stifle a wild seedbank.

While mowing is attractive to many, my instinct was to allow the natural, native meadow of the land’s past reestablish itself. A perspective that, I admit, was influenced by the good work of Berks Nature and by reading Doug Tallamy’s New York Times Bestseller, Nature’s Best Hope.

Mowing lawns and other open yard spaces provides little benefit to wildlife or the environment. It may look well-manicured, which is appropriate in some areas, but these high-maintenance lawns are sterile spaces. If you want birds and wildlife in your own backyard (and who doesn’t?), it’s as simple as not mowing.

The tricky part was convincing my lawn-loving husband that this was a good idea (sound familiar?).

Eventually, we negotiated a no-mow zone measuring roughly 150 feet by 115 feet – about 0.40 acres in area. This particular portion of our property is quite visible with road frontage along a major thoroughfare. Boy, did we start many neighborhood conversations and assumptions!

“Hey, why are you letting the weeds grow on that part of your land?”

“Is something wrong with that part of your yard?  Why did you stop mowing it?”

And, my favorite comment, “Why would you stop mowing? Aren’t you worried about ticks?”

At the border of Tami’s Nature Area after one year of not mowing.

Despite our neighbors’ perplexed responses, we came to know this space lovingly as, “Tami’s Nature Area.”

The simple act of not mowing triggered an incredible transformation. In a few short weeks, Tami’s Nature Area sprouted to life. Who knew the soil was so full of native wildflowers and grasses just waiting for their chance to grow?

Two months into our mowing prohibition, and Tami’s Nature Area was already home to seven native species: frost aster, goldenrod, white yarrow, black-eyed susan, lyreleaf sage, St. John’s wort, and eastern red cedar; a community of native plants that we had literally mowed over for years.

Encouraged by this early progress, I decided to plant trees in the upland portion of Tami’s Nature Area; a combination of white pine – Pennsylvania’s only truly native coniferous tree – red oaks, and pin oaks – my personal favorite.

According to Tallamy, oak trees are “habitat heroes”: not only are their acorns a nutrient-packed food source for wildlife, but oak trees support more native insects species than any other Pennsylvania-based tree!

I added even more woody species – spice bushes, pussy willows, and white viburnum – to add not only beauty of ecological benefits as wildlife habitat to the shrubby edge of Tami’s Nature Area.

To better enjoy this natural beauty, we added a trail which, to the delight of my family, winds peacefully through the meadow. The trail has since gained a few bird houses and a fabulous park bench that I secured from a local auction, for reclined wildlife viewing.

I try to make it a point to walk through Tami’s Nature Area at least once a day; it never fails to surprise me. Whether I catch the flutter of a new moth or butterfly, or spy a new plant emerge, the natural additions that appear each week always keep me smiling.

However, some of the new additions are not welcomed! Controlling invasive species is part of any native meadow establishment, and Tami’s Nature Area is no exception.  I have removed hundreds of multi-flora rose and autumn olive plants, which were young enough to simply extract by hand. In a small area like this, I can keep the invaders at bay without chemical applications.

It may be counterintuitive, but good meadow maintenance does include some mowing! Once a year is enough, and March is the best time mow, as it avoids the nesting and brood-rearing season for most Pennsylvanian species.

Tami tries to stroll through her no-mow nature area at least once a day, and it never fails to delight!

Cultivating Tami’s Nature Area could have been free, after all, it doesn’t cost anything to stop mowing! In fact, less mowing can mean greater savings for large landowners!

But I have enjoyed investing a little extra into Tami’s Nature Area. I chose to add some of my favorite native trees and shrubs, and I purchased native wildflower seeds during year one.  I also like to grab native shrubs and perennials at the end of the season when nurseries sell them at discounted (even cheap!) prices. For my birthday last year, at my request, my parents even gifted me a beautiful red bud tree.

To date, this project has cost us $383.

But the return in benefits far exceeds any cost or expectations we had for this project. The meadow, which is sloped, slows down rainwater runoff and holds the water, absorbing it, and replenishing our well water (instead of displacing it into our neighbors’ yards).

The number of butterflies and insects we have witnessed in this meadow is amazing.  If you plant it, they will come! I have been delighted by the return of garter snakes and by the sly, fleeting views of red-tailed foxes. The white tail deer enjoy the meadow too, and there are enough plants for everyone to enjoy.

Perhaps what brings me the most happiness is watching my family enjoy and appreciate the wonders of nature that now exist on our property. If you have the ability to transition any part of your land to a no-mow zone, please do so.  Think out of the box.  Do it for nature.

Written by Tami Shimp, VP for Development and Community Relations