Crow’s Nest: Glorious summer

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager

We’ve had glorious weather over the last couple weeks and visitors have enjoyed our peak of summer blooms.

Until today, it’s been dry. Rain will likely hasten some of the flowers to seed.

Above, Joe-Pye weed; below, Jerusalem artichoke in the barnyard.

The meadow planting volunteers worked on this spring is starting to show. That’s the guardrail of Harmonyville Road in the background.

The planting is mostly warm-season grasses like little bluestem, below, but there are also wildflowers to support pollinators and for additional beauty (and to send the unspoken message that this isn’t a patch of weeds but a deliberate meadow).

Finally two photos of phlox; these are growing along Piersol Road, are long-blooming, and brighten my day.