Meadow Gardens & Wild Life Habitat

In 2017 the Village of Silver Lake (West Harrison) and Town of Harrison helped to clear an empty lawn area of over a half acre to be seeded as wildflower meadow. Establishing a meadow is hard work and volunteers once again answered the call to help hand broadcast seed.

The meadow currently contains stands of milkweed where monarchs migrate to breed each summer. During July it is brimming with Yellow Tiger Swallowtails and native bees who feast on large stands of Anise Hyssop and Purple Bee Balm.

Renovating the meadow to increase its species diversity, remove woody invasive plants, and increase it accessibility and ease of maintenance began in 2020 and will continue into 2022. New pathways will be installed to help break up the areas so volunteers can more easily monitor for the ever present threat of encroaching invasive plants such as porcelain berry and tree of heaven. Volunteers are needed to help make these efforts successful and all help is most welcome!!

Meadow Areas - The new renovations will include an area of bright annual sunflowers to create a magical backdrop for our summer events. Two new garden areas will be added and a new milkweed area for Monarchs will take center stage. Renovations for 2022 will include an area designed to help feed hummingbirds and a diverse native grass field for our firefly population.