Pease Park Conservancy’s Conservation Team has been hard at work taking care of the 84 acres of Pease Park. The most recent project takes us all the way up to the Wildflower Meadow at Lamar Terrace, and seeks to revitalize the native biodiversity of the park.
In preparation for spring, PPC’s Conservation Team and Pease Corps Volunteers have revitalized this area to promote future blooms. The process began with site preparation and designation. Through the Conservancy’s partnership with the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the Wildflower Meadow was fenced off and designated as a “grow zone.” As defined by the City of Austin, “Grow Zones” are areas adjacent to bodies of water that are excluded from mowing efforts allowing native flowers and grasses to grow wild and thrive.
Nick Boysen (PPC Conservation Coordinator) and Paige Hemingson (PPC Sustainability Intern) led volunteers in a bit of an experiment. In order to see which method would yield a more abundant meadow, one of the sections had its soil lightly broken up, while the other remained as it was. The soil in the section that was not disturbed already had a few grasses and budding wildflowers from previous seeding efforts. Treating the two areas differently will help the team better understand how to encourage optimal wildflower growth in future years.
Once the soil was prepared, the team used a native seed mix made up of native flowers and grasses. Of the over 2500 species of native wildflowers and grasses, the Wildflower Meadow will be home to species like Bluebonnets, Firewheels, Black-eyed Susans, and more. The meadow is a site that promotes biodiversity and edge habitat for many species and when it begins to bloom, it will be an attractive source of food and shelter for pollinators and many other organisms.
In addition to its beauty and its role as a food source and shelter, a wildflower meadow like we have at Lamar Terrace will slow the flow of runoff water into creeks and streams and help reduce erosion. In the Pease Park Wildflower Meadow Grow Zone, the plants will help break up the compacted soil and promote water infiltration when it rains.
Though the most visible changes at the moment are the stakes and signs that fence off the area, we are hopeful for rain and sunshine to allow the seeds to germinate and bloom.
Visit the Wildflower Meadow from now throughout the spring and watch the area transform before your eyes!