Berksdale is Growing!

With 70 inches of rain (so far), it’s been a great year for growing grass! Now that we’re experiencing regular frosts, it is planting season. All our additions are selected in accordance with our Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary standards for wildlife benefit and promoting native species, as well as consideration for flood plain management and aesthetics. Our experiments with growing our own trees and perennials were very fruitful this year and we were delighted to be able to invite volunteers to help get them in the ground. Switch grass, milkweed, and purple coneflowers were inserted in old fairway bunkers on our south end with help from members of the Northwest Arkansas Master Naturalists. Scout Troop 525 aided in planting sycamore trees, also on the south end, along the highway and corkscrew willows in a persistent wet zone. The Berksdale crew added red twig dogwood shrubs along old 18 creek bank and black willows along old 13 for stabilization. Corkscrew willows have been spaced throughout the grounds to help alleviate standing water issues. For more information, see auduboninternational.org, monarchwatch.org, and missouribotanicalgarden.org>plantfinder.

 

Wendy Barnes, Assistant Superintendent, Berksdale