[To see stories and photos from other years, see the links on the main Wetland page.]

This year I planted several seeds and bare root plants in the triangle between the driveways, along the driveway stream, and at the far south end of East Center Valley.  I planted seeds of Spirea alba, and bare root plants of Meadowsweet (Spirea alba), Globe Mallow (Napaea dioica), and Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).

I pulled Wild Parsnip in June and July and got it out of most of the wetland except the very eastern edge.  Some areas are much better – with hardly any parsnip left.  The worst area this year was No Bridge Meadow.  This is about the 4th year I’ve worked on it, so I’m hopeful that it will look better soon.

Another big project was removing the old fences and mowing around the old farmhouse and the nearby fields.  In October we had those fields and Crown Vetch Meadow sprayed with roundup,  and I divided Maze Meadow and Crown Vetch Meadow with stakes to make planting easier.  I started seeding right after the new year.

1/23/2023

1/30/2023

2/18/2023

2/25/2023

4/20/2023

4/30/2023

5/12/2023  Marsh Marigolds

5/14/2023  Marsh Marigolds in the triangle between the old and new driveways

6/6/2023

6/7/2023  Wild Iris near the creek

6/12/2023  Triangle between the old and new driveways

6/27/2023  No Bridge Meadow – still with plenty of Wild Parsnip

6/29/2023  Meadow just east of the driveway with Angelica and Water Hemlock blooming

7/20/2023  West south end of East Center Valley Prairie with Michigan Lily and Mountain Mint

7/20/2023  Farmhouse meadow – I planted this with wet prairie seeds a few years ago, but they’re having a hard time competing with the old field weeds. We had it sprayed with roundup late this fall – that should discourage the weeds and give the prairie plants a chance.

7/29/2023  Parsnip Meadow – west of the driveway.  When we started work on this (about 2006) it was almost solid Wild Parsnip.

8/22/2023  Sawtooth Sunflower

8/22/2023

8/22/2023  Between the old and new driveways

9/2/2023  One of the old fences that we wanted to take out

9/2/2023  The old fence.  We pulled it out and then Mike rolled it and picked it up with the bucket on the tractor.

9/25/2023  Drone photo showing Sumac Prairie (right, at the top of the bluff), Sheep Hill Prairie (on the lower slope of the hill), and the mowed fields that are ready to be sprayed.

9/25/2023  Another drone photo – below the old barn and Farmhouse Meadow

10/25/2023  Beaver work on a large willow near the creek

10/25/2023  Below the old barn and Farmhouse Meadow – now mowed, sprayed and staked.

10/25/2023  Maze Meadow

11/4/2023

12/3/2023  One of our few snowstorms this year

12/4/2023