Why Meadows?

Mary Ann Ryan
Adams County Master Gardener

(9/2) When googling the definition of a meadow, several definitions come up. 1. A grassland; 2. A wild area with no trees or shrubs; 3. Land with herbaceous plant material, grasses and wildflowers.

There are other definitions that delineate a field vs a meadow, what meadows mean in other countries, and whether they are in lowlands or uplands. But for the purposes of this article, I will refer to a meadow as having herbaceous plant material.

Why are meadows being suggested for residential communities? What is the advantage of a meadow? Meadows provide quite a few ecological improvements. But let’s start with where we are now in our neighborhoods ecologically.

The idea of a development, or the suburbs, started in 1946 with the planning of the first suburb, called Levittown. This suburb is on Long Island, New York and still in existence today. It was the answer to soldiers and their families as they returned from WWII. When the war ended, these communities provided a home for their families to live and own. These homes looked the same, side by side, on a small piece of land. Although these homes have changed greatly over the years, this first planned suburban community is much like many of our developments today.

These communities were a necessary answer. Not only for providing a place to live, but economically it caused a boom in building – from building supplies to labor. However, the result of the hard surfaces created by roofs, sidewalks, parking lots, roads, etc. caused erosion, pollution, and reduction in insect, plant and animal population. We know today that the increase in development has caused these issues to increase.

We can’t stop development. It is a necessary means to providing places for us to live, shop, eat, and work. However, we can control how we manage this development. We can decrease the amount of soil erosion that happens as a result of development, we can capture water, so it doesn’t run across hard surfaces, picking up pollutants and dumping those pollutants into our creeks and streams, and ultimately the bay. And one way is through meadows.

We’ve learned that monoculture, or one dominant species, does not provide a habitat for multiple critters (birds, bugs, mammals, etc.). Turf is a monoculture, and one that is not native to the US. But if we transition parts of our lawn to multiple species of plants, we can create areas for these critters. And if we connect our diverse plantings with our neighbors, then suddenly we have connected corridors for the critters to eat, nest and have their young.

We’ve learned that not only is the monoculture plant life contributing to the decline in insect life, but also increased pollution. Because the root systems of turf grass are shallow, the water runs off quickly, picking up pollutants along the way. The deep roots of our native plants allow a path for water to penetrate through the soil. This causes erosion and sediment in the creeks and rivers, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Not to mention the air pollution that results in lawn equipment used on a weekly, sometimes bi-weekly basis, needed to manage lawns.

How can we reduce air and water pollution, increase insect diversity, provide homes for the birds, and have a balanced ecosystem? Start by transitioning the lawn. Introduce native plants into your landscape. Reduce the amount of turf grass, reduce pesticides. Re-forest part of your yard by planting native trees and shrubs and introducing native flowering perennials. Create meadows, even if it’s just a 6’x6’ area. That’s a great start.

Read other articles on ecological gardening & native plants