This is Part I of a 3-part solutions journalism series on wildflowers. Part II published March 24 and Part III published March 25.
MANSFIELD — A few weeks ago, Becky Scheidler was scrolling on social media searching for inspiration to start gardening again, a favorite hobby of her past.
“I did it a lot when I was younger with my grandmother, and it’s something in the spotlight again for me recently,” she said. “If I’m going to have a garden, I need to also have wildflowers to bring pollinators to my garden.”
The importance of wildflowers to a garden is no small thing. They provide a habitat for pollinators (which 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend upon to reproduce), prevent erosion, and improve water quality and soil health.
So wildflowers were already on Scheidler’s mind when she came across an article about the United Kingdom embracing the “meadows revolution.” Such a revolution means letting a well-manicured lawn grow out to make way for “managed messiness” that allows wildlife to thrive.
It got her thinking: Could this be possible on a larger scale in Mansfield?
She sent the Guardian article to the Richland Source newsroom with a note:
“I know how we all complain about how our city is not that beautiful…I need someone to help present this to the city and area businesses and see if we can do something like this.
“I thought it was something that would brighten up the area and give people hope and encouragement,” she said. “I wish there could be more community involvement and more pride in the city.”
FLOWER POWER
An increased presence of native wildflowers in the city of Mansfield is an intriguing idea. The effort could result in two immediate outcomes: An increase in pollinators, and a decrease in mowing.
“Adding wildflowers could have wonderful benefits to the environment in Mansfield,” said Mark Hoover, director of horticulture at Kingwood Center Gardens. “Wildflowers can be a great source of food for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.”
Hoover pointed to the perennial garden at Kingwood Center Gardens as an intentional introduction of wildflowers to the area.
“In this scenario, one plants a mixture of grasses, perennials and other bulbs creating a ‘wildflower’ garden with more control than just spreading seeds into a bare patch of soil,” he said. “You still get the benefits listed above but can also reduce mowing time and lawn inputs including watering and fertilizing.”
However, it’s important to clarify that any wildflowers being planted in the city or your own backyard aren’t exactly “wild,” but native to the area. Some flowering plants in fields or meadows are actually invasive species that threaten local flora.
“While they may provide some nectar resources, they have not evolved with local pollinators and provide nothing as a host plant for any of our pollinators in their early stages of life,” said Vickie Eichof, a volunteer at the Richland County Fairgrounds Nature Park. “They are crowding out the native plants that do provide that resource, that feed pollinators in their larval stage. No host plants, eventually no pollinators.”
Fortunately, native wildflower efforts are already happening in Mansfield’s parks. The Mansfield City Parks master plan, first released in April 2020, recommended “opportunities for butterfly or pollinator gardens” in Dickson Park, John Todd Park, Optimist Park and Sterkel Park.
Another goal in the master plan was to “reduce the amount of manicured mowing and develop no-mow areas within the park where feasible.”
Mark Abrams, manager of the city’s Parks & Recreation department, said in peak season his staff of four spends 40 hours a week mowing close to 300 acres across the city’s 22 parks.
According to the city of Mansfield’s 2022 budget, the Parks & Recreation department is operating on a budget of $869,459 this year. Abrams said about half of that budget goes to personnel costs, but expanding the city’s flowerbeds would reduce his department’s mowing footprint (not to mention their carbon footprint — reducing mowing frequency can save water, help your lawn become more resilient to drought, and reduce emissions from gas-powered lawn equipment).
“It’s not an actual dollar savings because I’m still paying personnel, but what we look at is more of a time savings,” Abrams said. “It probably takes half an hour to mow an acre, so for every acre of flowers we plant, we can save half an hour of time.”
One example of this strategy is the new mowing pattern of Middle Park, where Abrams copied the habits of states like Virginia, only mowing a few strips of path and letting the rest “go back to nature.” A couple swipes of grass will be mowed for security reasons, but otherwise the new strategy cuts “a huge chunk” of mowing time off of Middle Park.
Another colorful example can be found at Burton Park, where the city planted a field of sunflowers over the old baseball field for the public to admire and take pictures. The effort was inspired by the Fackler Farms sunflower field that popped up in Ontario in August 2020.
Abrams said the Burton Park sunflower field saves his team approximately 45 minutes of mowing time.
“The main goal was for its uniqueness, but it turned into an experiment in bringing people to the park and reducing mowing,” Abrams said. “The outcome was attracting a ton of wildlife. So for me it was successful and something we want to expand.”
Abrams said wildflowers have always been a topic of conversation in his eight-year tenure with the parks department, but a purposeful, concentrated effort to increase flowers and reduce mowing hasn’t been made. However, he’s not opposed to the idea.
“It would warrant further discussion, and we’d have to locate places where it made sense, but I think it would be a worthwhile conversation to have,” he said.
Plant flowers native to your area. Installing native plants not only supports pollinators and other species in your region — they’re easier to grow, too, because they’re already adapted to your climate and don’t require loads of fertilizer or pesticide. Local garden centers, university extension programs, and nonprofit organizations can be great resources for finding the best plants for where you live. The U.S. Forest Service cautions against picking or digging up wildflowers on public land, however, which is illegal and does more harm than good.
Aim for a diverse mix of flowers. One of the mistakes people often make when they plant flowers for wildlife is they buy plants that bloom all at once — in a healthy grassland, you have plants that grow throughout the season. By thinking over the course of a year, you’ll be rewarded with a burst of colors and scents that unfold over the course of several months. In addition to planting a range of flowers that flourish at different times, think about complementary species too. For example, flowers and other plants can help control pests in a vegetable garden.
Be active in your community. You don’t need your own big plot of land. All you need is a pot, a window box, or another small space to plant wildflowers. But no matter how much space you have, also consider seeking out a community garden or local nature reserve where you can volunteer and help support the planting of native species. Pay attention to policies that affect natural ecosystems, such as the U.S. Farm Bill, which funds grasslands conservation programs.
Pay attention to the environment. No matter where you decide to plant, make it a habit to visit regularly and watch what’s happening. Which plants are thriving? Which ones are having trouble? What insects and birds do you notice? What do the flowers smell like?
From National Geographic.
TOMORROW: Part II takes us to Appleton, Wisconsin, where a community effort to reduce mowing significantly helped local pollinators.
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