My local park's native plant section looked totally different after just two seasons

I walk my dog through Miller Park every day and always check the little native plant garden they put in. When they first planted it in spring 2023, it was just a bunch of small plugs in mulch, kind of sad looking. I remember thinking it would take forever to fill in. But by late summer this year, the whole area was a thick, buzzing patch of black-eyed susans, bee balm, and little bluestem grass. The change was huge. It went from looking like a construction site to a real mini-prairie. The park guy told me they stopped using any weed killers and just let the natives fight it out, which they did. Now I see way more butterflies and bees there than on the manicured lawn parts. Has anyone else seen a public space switch to natives and actually stick with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

park.joseph1mo ago

Our library's rain garden did the same thing.

amy_robinson1mo ago

Yeah it's wild how fast they take over... @park.joseph our library garden did that too and now it's the only spot with fireflies.