By Mike Cranney, Director of Stewardship

In 2024, WCT set out to restore roughly 25 acres of fallow farm fields to native meadow and grassland at our newest property – Kestrel Hill Preserve. In June of that year, an 11-acre (upper) field adjacent to Providence Road was seeded with three native grasses and 24 different native wildflowers, while a 14-acre (lower) field next to Plumsock Road was seeded with four native grasses. These different seed mixes diversify the habitat, allowing the entire area to support a broader range of birds and pollinators more quickly, while simplifying some management strategies.

In just one year the changes at Kestrel Hill are remarkable. While native meadow species like the ones that were seeded can take multiple years grow, we saw positive results almost right away. By the end of the first summer, the upper field was painted gold with black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), while smaller germinating buds of numerous other species signaled an even more productive second year. Similarly, we noticed abundant germination of grass species in the lower field, while the cover crop of annual rye held the soil in place through the first winter.

Things really took off in 2025. After a wet spring, the newly seeded grass filled the lower field almost entirely, with some wildflowers already beginning to creep in as well from the adjacent meadows. By early summer, the upper field glowed even more brilliantly than the year before. If you drove by the Preserve on Providence Road this past May or June, you may have noticed the stunning sunny display of lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) blanketing the top of the hill. Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) could also be found sprinkled throughout, adding spots of color and more blooms for the insects to enjoy. When the coreopsis flowers began to fade, an abundance of false sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) filled the field with even more yellows that maintained through the summer. As the season faded into fall, the warm-season grasses in both fields began really showing off. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Virginia wildrye (Elymus virginicus), and Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) turned both the upper and lower fields beautiful shades of golden brown, yellow and orange. Even the goldenrods and asters are beginning to pop up, which suggests that there may be an eruption of color next fall.

This early success is encouraging and beautiful to see, but meadow restoration does require a little patience. Unlike these few key examples, many species will spend the first few seasons establishing their root systems before growing, making this time especially critical for management. Over the next couple of years, both areas will require regular mowing to prevent undesirable plants from invading, while allowing the native plants to establish and spread. Stewardship staff and volunteers are also regularly scouting the fields for particularly damaging invasive species, such as Canada thistle, so that they can be promptly removed before they take over. During this time, a greater diversity of species will begin filling in, shaping the meadow into an even more striking and beneficial habitat.

The impacts of this restoration are already being observed. This summer, WCT’s Stewardship Intern Ian Salisbury completed a study focused on documenting the diverse species that call Kestrel Hill Preserve home. Using the meadow as his template, he aimed to record the variety of butterflies that are now utilizing this beautiful beneficial habitat. In just one morning, participants observed over 20 different species of pollinators, including monarchs, buckeyes, bumblebees, and hoverflies. WCT staff will continue ongoing monitoring at the Preserve to better understand how these restored meadows and grasslands support a richer, more resilient ecosystem.

Kestrel Hill Preserve is not yet open to the public, but as soon as it is (stay tuned!), you will be able to walk right alongside these blossoming meadows and grasslands to see them up close and personal.

How WCT is working with a local Homeowners Association to create habitat, improve water quality, and transform open space for an entire community

By: Mike Cranney, Director of Stewardship

In the summer of 2022, WCT’s Stewardship team first met with members of the Inverary community in nearby Villanova. A group of neighbors had reached out to discuss how they could improve some of their open-space areas, which at the time were largely being maintained as mowed turf. They had visions of community-wide access and trails, but walking around vast swaths of lawn was not very appealing, and the environmental and financial detriment of maintaining so much turf grass was glaring. Their HOA Council had decided that a change was needed, and a partnership with WCT presented an excellent opportunity for both organizations.

At the time of the initial meeting, WCT had recently applied for a new grant project through Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) that would provide funding for the cost of converting lawns to native meadow. After offering this approach to Inverary, everyone agreed that it was the perfect solution. For the next ten months, WCT worked with Inverary’s Landscape Committee to convey the plan to the entire community and make sure that everyone was on board. Through collaborative planning meetings, internal discussions by Inverary, public presentations, and plenty of feedback, the Council and the residents agreed to move forward.

Two key areas at Inverary were identified for the lawn to meadow conversion: the first, a roughly 6-acre field on the west end of the property; and the second, a 3.5-acre area to the east around a pond and associated stream. After a year and a half of planning and prep work, the meadow areas were finally seeded in the spring of 2024. The native seed mix comprised almost 30 different species, including asters, goldenrods, milkweed, coneflowers, and grasses. While meadows typically take 2-3 years to establish and flourish, the change was apparent as soon as that summer. The newly sown fields lit up with yellow and green, covered with black-eyed Susan and early germinating rosettes preparing to erupt in the coming years.

While the meadow planting was a success, due to grant restrictions it still left roughly a 50-foot gap between the newly seeded areas and the edge of the nearby waterways. This is where the WCT Watershed team stepped in and began planning for phase two of the project: a tree planting that would surround the pond and stream. Working with yet another grant from DCNR, this one for planting in non-vegetated streamside areas, a proposal was devised to buffer the space with native trees and shrubs. This process was again only made possible through a collaboration with Inverary to make sure that all of the residents understood and supported the project. After a few meetings and discussions with the neighbors on site, phase two was ready to go.

In October 2024, WCT staff returned to Inverary, and with the help of volunteers, students, and residents, planted more than 400 trees and shrubs over the course of four days. Members of the community, as well as their landscaping staff, were able to learn about the value of the project and how to best manage the site while helping to dig holes, install deer protection cages, and water in the new residents. Despite the prolonged drought that followed, the plants have held up well, thanks in large part to the effort of WCT staff and Inverary volunteers who came back twice a week for a month to haul and dump buckets of water. These trees and shrubs now have a happy home where they can grow and thrive. Without the overwhelming support and enthusiasm of the Inverary community, this entire project would not be possible. It is an inspiring effort that not only benefits the environment, but also brings people closer both to the natural world and to one another. This spring, 2 more acres of meadow will be planted at Inverary, creating sites that will provide a beautiful entryway into the community and expand on the initial work to build a more attractive and accessible connection between the other restored areas. It is evident from the number of inquiries that WCT has received since its implementation that the success of this project is already influencing other communities, and undoubtedly will continue to do so for years to come.