P E N N S Y L V A N I A W I L D L I F E Meadows and Prairies: Wildlife-Friendly Alternatives to Lawn n the United States, is a rather hostile, sterile envi- Alternatives to Lawns over 24 million acres of ronment for most wildlife, being I Before you begin the process of creating lawn surround our homes. As devoid of food and places to hide a wildlife-friendly environment, consider suburban development contin- or nest. Planting and maintaining how much lawn you would like to retain. ues to spread into open and for- a lawn also has time, economic, For instance, do you want to keep part ested land alike, we lose more and environmental costs. of your backyard as a play area for chil- dren and a small patch of lawn in the and more of our native vegeta- As homeowners become front? Once you determine the minimum tion and wildlife habitat. aware of the costs of maintain- amount of lawn that you need, then you By replacing all or part of ing lawns, both to people and to can start to consider how to convert the your lawn with native veg- wildlife, many are choosing to remaining lawn into a wildlife-friendly environment. etation that provides food and replace all or part of their lawns cover, you can create a refuge with more wildlife- and environ- If you have an open, sunny area on to attract a variety of wildlife. ment-friendly alternatives. your property, you may want to create a This not only will provide much- meadow or a prairie garden. Both prairies needed habitat, but it will also and meadows contain a mixture of native grasses and wildflowers, although prai- create an opportunity for you to ries generally have a higher percentage of see and learn about wildlife. grasses. In addition, prairies usually are Although lawns can pro- dominated by “warm-season” grasses that vide benefits, large expanses grow when the soil and weather are warm, whereas meadows have more “cool- of lawn displace other season” grasses that grow in the cooler diverse natural habitats that spring and early summer months. But most wildlife species find appeal- many of the same species can be found in ing. The lawn, clipped short and both prairies and meadows, and the two terms are used interchangeably. consisting of very few species, Illustration by Jeffery Mathison 2 There essentially are two types of mead- Table 1. Species to avoid planting in Grasses also support wildflowers, and pro- ows or prairies: annual and perennial. prairies or meadows. vide cover and seeds for birds. In the fall, Annual meadows grow rapidly the first grasses turn to beautiful shades of gold, year, providing an abundance of color Common name Scientific name orange, and bronze. A list of potential quickly. This is the type of meadow you native grass species to include is presented Bull thistle* Cirsium vulgare encounter when you buy and plant pack- in Table 3. These provide excellent cover aged or canned meadow mixes. To retain Canada thistle* Cirsium arvense for wildlife and also produce seeds that the original color and species mixture, serve as food for wildlife. annual meadows generally need to be Crown vetch Coronilla varia replanted every year. These mixtures often Dame’s rocket Hesperis matronalis By creating a meadow or prairie you pro- contain a predominance of nonnative spe- vide habitat for a variety of wildlife spe- cies, some of which can spread into nearby Nodding thistle* Caduus nutans cies. Some flowers provide nectar and fields. If you decide to purchase a prepack- larval food sources for butterflies and Purple loosestrife Lythrum salicaria aged mix, inspect the species content nectar for hummingbirds. Others supply carefully for unwanted aggressors. Wild- Queen Anne’s lace Daucus carota seeds for songbirds to eat and shelter for flower mixes may include some peren- insects. Insects in turn provide additional *Species on the Pennsylvania noxious weed list. nial species as well, but again, beware of Planting of these species is not permitted. food for birds and small mammals like the nonnative and aggressive species that will short-tailed shrew and meadow jumping take over your meadow. A list of species to mouse. Rabbits build nests at the base of avoid planting is presented in Table 1. grass clumps and feed on tender shoots Perennial meadows are the second type. of grass. Because perennial plants and prairie grasses take hold more slowly, a perennial meadow usually requires 2 or 3 years to Planting and Preparing for establish properly. These plants have very Your Meadow deep root systems and spend the first year directing their energies into root growth. Most companies that sell seeds and plants In the second year, perennial meadow and also give detailed instructions on site prairie plants extend their roots and begin preparation and planting. We have sum- to grow and spread aboveground as well. marized these instructions below. By the third year, your meadow or prairie garden is fully established. An established Getting Rid of Your Lawn meadow is virtually maintenance free, The first step in preparing for your requiring only occasional weeding and meadow or prairie is to remove the exist- mowing once each year. ing lawn or vegetation. One way to remove your lawn is to cut the sod into strips with A perennial meadow can be established by a shovel, undercut it, and remove the strips carefully selecting and planting perennial to a depth of 1 to 1½ inches. Once the sod wildflowers native to Pennsylvania. Some is removed, the soil must be prepared and annuals can be selectively added to pro- planted immediately. vide diversity. A list of some native wild- Black-eyed Susan flowers you may choose to plant is given in Another way to remove your lawn is to Table 2. While the list represents a small solarize the vegetation by covering it with subset of the species to choose from, you black plastic, plywood, 6 inches of wood can mix and match to suit your tastes. A chips, 4-by-8 pieces of plywood, or a layer list of sources for wildflowers and grasses is of newspapers 20 sheets thick with wood provided at the end of this publication. chips on top. Solarizing should only be used on small areas (a few thousand square You can make your meadow or prairie feet or less). Solarization kills plants by more authentic by adding some native speeding germination, then baking the grass species. The dense root systems plants. Coverings should be applied in of grasses squeeze out weeds, helping to late spring and kept in place for at least Illustration by Rae Chambers keep your meadow low maintenance. 2 months. Once the plants are dead and 3 Table 2. Perennial wildflowers for meadows and prairies. Plant name Height Flower color Time of bloom Soil conditions Black-eyed Susan 1–3 ft Yellow Summer and fall Dry to moist (Rudbeckia hirta) Blazing-star 1–5 ft Purple Summer and fall Moist (Liatris spicata) Butterfly milkweed 1–3 ft Orange Summer Dry (Asclepias tuberosa) Canada anemone 1–2 ft White Spring and summer Damp (Anemone canadensis) Cardinal flower 2–4 ft Red Summer and fall Moist (Lobelia cardinalis) Common evening primrose 1–5 ft Yellow Summer and fall Dry (Oenothera biennis) Common milkweed 3–5 ft Lavender Summer Dry to moist (Asclepias syriaca) Common sneezeweed 3–5 ft Yellow to mahogany Summer and fall Moist (Helenium autumnale) Goldenrod 1–5 ft Yellow to golden Summer and fall Varies (Solidago sp.) Gray-headed coneflower 3–5 ft Yellow Summer and fall Dry (Ratibida pinnata) Lanceleaf coreopsis 1–2 ft Yellow Summer Dry to damp (Coreopsis lanceolata) New England aster 3–5 ft Blue, rose, violet Summer and fall Damp (Aster novae-angliae) New York ironweed 3–10 ft Purple Summer and fall Moist (Vernonia noveboracensis) Obedient plant 3–5 ft Pink Summer and fall Moist (Physostegia virginiana) Pearly everlasting 1–3 ft White Summer and fall Dry (Anaphilis margaritacea) Purple coneflower 2–4 ft Purple-pink Summer and fall Moist (Echinacea purpurea) Queen-of-the-prairie 2–9 ft Pink Summer Moist (Filipendula rubra) Sundrop 1–3 ft Yellow Summer and fall Dry (Oenothera fruticosa) Wild bergamot 2–3 ft Pink Summer Dry (Monarda fistulosa) Wild geranium 1–2 ft Rose-purple Spring and summer Moist (Geranium maculatum) Wild lupine 1–2 ft Blue Spring and summer Dry, sandy (Lupinus perennis) 4 Table 3. Native grasses for prairies the soil is dry, remove the covering and plant is in the spring. In Pennsylvania, and meadows. till the soil or rake away the dead thatch. April is the ideal month to plant. Once If you do not plan to plant your meadow your meadow has been planted, add a light Plant name Height until spring, be sure to mulch the solarized layer of mulch and water as needed during area with wood chips, shredded bark, or the first 6 weeks. Big bluestem 4–6 ft (Andropogon gerardi) shredded leaves to prevent soil erosion and to keep weeds from sprouting. An alternative to planting a meadow or Little bluestem prairie is simply to stop mowing and allow 2–3 ft (Schizachyrium scoparium) Herbicides, such as Roundup, may also nature to take its course. Many wildflow- be applied to kill lawn, provided that you ers, including goldenrods, asters, ironweed, Indian grass 2–3 ft (Sorghastram nutans) use them as directed. Appy Roundup to joe-pye weed, and milkweed, will come in actively growing vegetation. Allow 1 to 2 on their own. To maintain a good balance Switchgrass* weeks for Roundup to work, then retreat of species and control the most aggressive 4–7 ft (Panicum virgatum) any areas that remain green.