08/02/2026
RESTORING A MEADOW
When Butler Master Gardener Robin Wuchina and her husband David bought the eight-acre farmland behind their property, they envisioned something beyond the corn and soybeans that were grown there. They wanted fields alive with birds, pollinators, and insects. Robin calls it "re-meadowing". While their project is still in the beginning stages, swathes of wildflowers are already vibrating with life, as a fawn ran down the path, and a red shouldered hawk soared overhead.
Some of the areas were sown with seed mixes from Ernst Conservation Seeds, others planted with native shrubs, specific flowers, milkw**d, or mints. Rising above the plants are several birdhouses. A small conifer in the middle of the field marks the memory of their beloved cat, Coco.
Among the plants blooming are Summersweet (clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice'), Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus), Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), raspberry bushes, Bee Balm (Monarda), Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Goldenrod (Solidago), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Common Milkw**d (Asclepias syriaca), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), and Blazing Star (Liatris spicata).
Robin and David have plans for the rest of the meadow, and already have areas marked for future expansion. "It's a lot of work," she admits, pointing out areas she wants to w**d. But the amount of work involved doesn't dim her enthusiasm for their meadow at all. Afterall, this is a labor of love and commitment to the ecosystem growing just beyond their back door.
