WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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Wildflowers at our Nature Preserves

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Across all of our preserves and properties, Willistown Conservation Trust boasts unique habitat supporting a wide variety of native wildflowers. Each place has distinct characteristics, creating different experiences and diverse species everywhere you go. You can find wildflowers in bloom at our preserves throughout the seasons, peaking in mid-summer during Wildflower Week. Spend time at each one to appreciate the full palette of our native wildflowers!

Rushton Woods Preserve is a great place to see a wide variety of wildflower species. The formal plantings and rain garden around the Rushton Conservation Center (RCC) are perfect inspiration for your own yard. Look especially during Wildflower Week for the purple coneflower, false sunflower, cutleaf coneflower, purple blazing star, and butterfly weed. Meadow strips also surround Rushton Farm, providing food and habitat for helpful insects, birds, and pollinators. These come to life in the summer and remain lush and colorful through the fall.

  • Hartman meadow
  • Hartman Meadow

Down the road at Kirkwood Preserve, over 80 acres of grasses and wildflowers provide key habitat for picky bird species that will only nest in these large, open areas. Vast drifts of milkweed and dogbane give way to goldenrod and ironweed as summer moves into autumn, but don’t overlook the native grasses, such as big bluestem and Indian grass, which provide beautiful color and texture. Climbing the trail to the top of the hill will give you an awesome vantage point to look out over all of the colors below.

At Ashbridge Preserve, a gas line right-of-way ensures that a large strip of land remains unforested. This right-of way actually provides great meadow habitat, with beautiful views across Ridley Creek. Most of the preserve is part of the floodplain wetland, so you will find wildflowers that grow in moist soil, such as soft rush and swamp hibiscus. If you follow the trail past the first creek crossing and through the woods, you will be rewarded when you re-emerge into the meadow and see mixes of goldenrod, joe pye weed, milkweed, and ironweed.

  • Ashbridge Meadow
  • Milkweed

If you need a break from the sun, follow our trails into the woods at the preserves; you can find shade-loving wildflower varieties too! The forest floor looks brilliant in the spring, when ephemerals such as toothwort, bloodroot, spring beauty, mayapple, trout lily, and trillium emerge. It explodes with color again in the fall, when masses of snakeroot, white wood aster, big leaf aster, and jumpseed bloom. You can find some of these species in the garden at the Trust office, a great place to look for inspiration for a native shade garden of your own. While you’re there, be sure to walk through Hartman Meadow to see the gorgeous mixes of milkweed, joe pye, coneflowers, mountain mint, spiderwort, bergamot, and more.

There is interest and inspiration to be had all around WCT’s preserves, farm, and gardens any time of year. Our native wildflowers not only look beautiful, but also provide the habitat and food necessary to ensure a healthy ecosystem. Stop by all of our preserves during Wildflower Week and beyond — I hope to see you there!

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

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Every time I walk into a nursery or big box store I feel a great temptation to purchase the prettiest plants. However, sometimes the prettiest plants and the ones that stand up to deer are not the best selections available for local pollinators and wildlife. Native plants support local species better than exotic ones because they have evolved in the ecosystems where we live. 

And while you will see bees and butterflies at non-native plants, these do not offer the same amount of nutritional content as their native alternatives. A blueberry is far more nutritious for a bird than a barberry. Birds have to eat more of the invasive species to get the same amount of benefits which in turn increases the spread of the invasive seeds in their poop.

With a little research and careful selection we can easily move away from invasive garden species to more beneficial native ones. Here’s a list to get started derived from the excellent book from the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Native Alternatives to Invasive Species.

Invasive Shrub: Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

  • Escapes into the wild and invades forests where it pushes out native shrub species plus it is a vector for ticks.

Replace With: Witch Alder (Fothergilla gardenii), New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) or Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

  • Witch Alder
  • New Jersey Tea Plant
  • Bush Honeysuckle
  • Small shrub with rounded to mounding form
  • 3-5 ft tall and wide
  • Fuzzy white terminal flower clusters in early spring
  • Oval scalloped foliage
  • Orange to burgundy fall color
  • Mounding to spreading form.
  • 1-3 ft tall and 2-4 ft wide
  • Terminal white flower clusters in late spring and summer
  • Deep green foliage
  • Yellow autumn color
  • Small shrub with arching vase like form.
  • 2-4 ft tall and 3-5 ft wide
  • Yellow flowers all summer
  • Yellow to burgundy autumn color.
  • See it at the RCC by the front door!

Invasive Shrub: Butterfly Bush (Buddleja davidii)

  • Despite the name, butterfly bush only supports adult butterflies with its abundant nectar but fails to provide for all of the other stages of life.

Replace With: Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) or Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

  • Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
  • Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
  • Rounded, irregular form
  • 6-10 ft tall and wide
  • Attractive winter silhouette
  • Fuzzy white summertime flowers
  • Deep glossy green foliage
  • Yellow autumn color.
  • Upright to irregular form
  • 4-8 ft tall and wide
  • Tawny to chestnut-colored bark
  • Deep green quilted foliage
  • Spikes of sweet-scented white flowers in summer
  • Yellow autumn foliage color

Invasive Groundcover: Japanese Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis)

  • Aggressive spreader, easily escapes into adjacent natural areas.

Replace With: Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) or Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)

  • Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)
  • Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
  • Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
  • Dense, slow-spreading groundcover
  • Paddle-shaped evergreen leaves
  • Fuzzy spring flowers
  • Rich winter foliage
  • Not deer resistant!
  • Climbing vine with holdfasts
  • Palmate leaves with five leaflets
  • Smoky-blue berries on red stalks
  • Flaming autumn color
  • Deer resistant
  • Delicate blue star shaped spring flowers
  • Grass like foliage
  • Grows in dense, tufted clumps

Invasive Vine: Japanese Honeysuckle
(Lonicera japonica) 

  • Aggressive vine that will smother trees and shrubs.

Replace With: Trumpet Honeysuckle
(Lonicera sempervirens)

  • Well-behaved deciduous vine
  • Scarlet flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds
  • Small red berries
  • Gray-green leaves
  • Exfoliating winter bark

Invasive Grass: Chinese Silvergrass
(Miscanthus sinensis Anderss.)

  • very aggressive and deep rooted ornamental grass that is sold as sterile but tends to reproduce anyway.
  • A serious threat to meadows and natural grassy areas.

Replace With: Indiangrass
(Sorghastrum nutans)

  • Clumping grass with ascending, tufted foliage
  • Silky golden plumes
  • Red to russet autumn color

Invasive Grass: Fountain Grass
(Pennisetum)

  • Escapes into natural areas forming dense stands, prolific seeder spreads by wind.

Replace With: Pink Hair Grass
(Muhlenbergia capillaris)

  • Clumping grass with a rounded crown
  • Low tufts of arching blades
  • Airy red plumes
  • Russet to tawny autumn color

Our Native Wildflower Meadow: An Example of How to Heal Nature from Home

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The Willistown Conservation Trust’s “front yard.” Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

In the heart of Willistown lies a Garden of Eden: over an acre of native wildflowers blankets a gentle slope in front of the Trust’s office on Providence Road. It provides a living example of how homeowners can help support nature in their yards. 

The first seeds for our wildflower meadow were planted in 2008, and since then around 800 flower plugs were carefully tucked into the soil each spring by elementary school children who learned about the myriad benefits of these native plants— from supporting the insects that drive food webs to minimizing water usage.  Year after year we watch the cradle of green grass morph into a field of countless perennials awaiting their turn for inflorescence throughout the summer. 

Variegated fritillaries on asters in late September. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Last year I kept a photo journal of the spellbinding symphony of life the meadow supports during its prime flowering months of July and August. 

In July, the red milkweed beetles wiggled their black antennae against the common milkweed as a few tiger-striped monarch caterpillars happily munched away at the toxic leaves.  Honeybees and nectar-loving wasps buzzed peacefully around the velvety mountain mint in such masses as to make the plant seem like it had a pulse.  Hummingbird clearwing moths probed the charming purple sprays of the wild bergamot, and clumsy bumblebees clung to the elegant ivory candelabras of Culver’s root.  Swallowtail butterflies became fluttering fixtures on the delicate clusters of lilac blooms produced by the garden phlox—seemingly every pollinator’s most cherished cocktail. On a lucky day even a battered monarch butterfly danced with hope among the Joe-Pye weed, its torn wings a symbol of the trials that this threatened species can overcome if we only provide it with more sanctuaries like this.

Culver’s root. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Hummingbird moth on wild bergamot. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Meadow fritillary on mountain mint. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

In August the meadow takes on a golden hue as the brilliant yellow of the native sunflowers is augmented by goldenrod species.  Contrasting splashes of deep purples from the ironweed and vervain create a blissful palette in which at least ten species of butterflies can be counted at once.  Birds also abound in this kaleidoscope of colors: kingbirds and bluebirds hunt for insects, as goldfinches bounce up and down on the long stems of the cup plant, chattering to each other while feasting on the seeds of the spent blooms.  I watched a young house wren take shelter among the stems of the pokeweed, where he made his first babbling attempts at his father’s spirited song.

Grass-leaved goldenrod. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Honeybee on ironweed. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Goldfinch on Virginia cup plant. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

This is life at its finest.  There are few natural landscapes where you can be surrounded so closely by so much visible life that is not in any hurry to evade you.  A cathartic place like this has the power to free us of loneliness, sadness, and worry by igniting our fascination. Your eye catches sight of a butterfly and the mind follows; such involuntary attention is the opposite of what our daily tasks demand and is exactly what promotes clear-headedness, calm, focus, and happiness.

Not only are native wildflower meadows elixirs to human health, they also promote ecological health and act as unsurpassed nurseries for biodiversity.  Imagine having all these benefits right at your back door.

There are over 48 million acres of largely biologically barren lawn in the U.S, and we lose 1.5 million acres of land to development each year.  Our lawns do not have to be monocultures of grass; by choosing native plants for at least half of our properties our yards could actually begin to rebuild the ecological food webs that are breaking down as a result of loss of habitat and pesticides.  By incorporating patches of native plants in your yard you can provide habitat for countless insect and bird species, including beneficial predators that keep pest insects in check naturally.

Common milkweed in the Willistown Conservation Trust’s native meadow. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Rare sand wasp species (Psammaletes mexicanus) found in our wildflower meadow last summer. It is pictured here carrying a leafhopper prey. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

Studies show that native wildflowers are also an answer to feeding the world’s growing population; the diversity of birds and insects in strips of wildflowers next to agricultural fields reduces or eliminates the need for pesticides and significantly increases crop yields, thanks to pollinating services.  Even in the dormancy of winter, unmown native wildflowers and grasses provide essential seed sources and shelter for birds.

There is a wonderful quote, “Leave room in your garden for fairies to dance.”  I remember reflecting in the wildflower meadow that summer and marveling at two monarch butterflies that seemed to be curious about me as they glided past and fluttered back to me in a teasing manner.  With iconic species like this on the brink of becoming like fabled garden sprites to our children, it is hard to justify not doing everything we can to heal nature.  What a gift it is to learn that your yard actually has the power to make a big difference.

White M Hairstreak. This rare butterfly species was found in our native wildflower meadow last summer, highlighting the importance of native plants. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

The Trust invites you to check out our website or call for information on creating your own wildflower paradise. You are welcome to visit our wildflower meadow at the office (925 Providence Road, Newtown Square).  Its peak months are July and August, but you’ll be rewarded with new joys any month you go.  Wildflower strips are also incorporated along the farm fields at Rushton Farm.  Common Milkweed is spectacular at all of our preserves for a brief window in mid-June.

Ready to join the movement?

Here is our curated list of great sources to get you started learning about, buying, and planting natives:

Which Native Plants to Buy for What Purpose

Where to Buy Native Plants Locally

Online Native Plant Marketplaces

 Summer Reading List

  • Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy
  • The Living Landscape by Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke
  • Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy
  • Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein
  • The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach
Monarch on echinacea. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

Create Your Own Meadow – Step 3: Preserve

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Early May – Early October: Once your wildflowers are planted, regularly inspect your meadow to ensure that invasive weeds are not colonizing the space. Hand pulling or cutting weeds below the height of native species should help to manage any invasives that may creep into your meadow.

Year Two and Beyond: Mow the entire meadow once a year in late March to early April to a height of about 6 inches — before the young wildflowers start pushing through the grass. Although some landscape professionals recommend mowing meadows in the fall as well, leaving plants unmowed over the winter provides important food and shelter for wildlife during the harsh winter months. Should you decide to mow a second time in the fall, wait until the year following installation to give the young wildflowers a chance to establish.

Wildflower plugs generally take three years to fully mature, so patience is required, but the result is well worth the wait!

Creating Your Own Meadow – Step 1: Prepare

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Depending on the size you want, it’s not too late to plan a meadow for your property. Native wildflowers and native grasses have deeper root systems than their non-native counterparts. These roots help strengthen soil against erosion, absorb more rainwater, reduce stormwater runoff and even sequester and store carbon.

Select your location; this was the front lawn of the Trust’s office on Providence road.

Select a location for your meadow that is generally sunny and well-drained. Existing lawn areas or fields are ideal. The size of the meadow should be determined by how much space you are willing to dedicate to the project and your budget. As a guide, a quarter-acre meadow would require approximately 2,700 wildflower plugs planted 2 feet on center.

February – Late March: Work with a landscape professional or reputable nursery that specializes in native plants to place an order for wildflowers that can be scheduled to arrive for installation in mid-April – early May.

Late March – Early April: Begin preparing the meadow area by mowing it to a height of 2-3 inches. Continue to mow the project area until you are ready to install the wildflower plugs.

Beautiful and colorful variety at the Trust office meadow

For inspiration, feel free to stop by the Willistown Conservation Trust office and have a look at our meadow. It’s been established for nearly 10 years and shows what you can look forward to.