Some of the work we do in the meadow is
less than glamorous.
Lately we've been working to eradicate
Bermuda grass—an invasive plant from the Eastern Hemisphere with an
aggressive root system. According to Wikipedia, Bermuda grass is so
called because it is incredibly invasive there, and is probably the
point from which it entered North America. Bermuda grass spreads
quickly in sunny areas, forming a dense mat that chokes out existing
plants and prevents the growth of anything else. As far as I know,
Bermuda grass does not provide food or habitat for any native
Tennessee wildlife.
To eradicate the grass, you have to
make sure to remove all the roots, and pile them on top of concrete
or something so they'll dry out. If even a tiny piece remains in the
ground, the grass can soon reestablish itself. The roots run deep
into the clay, and are super brittle. Trying to kill it—without
poisons, of course—is a lot of hot, tedious, unrewarding,
cussing-under-your-breath work.
Our strategy is to get as much of the
root system as we can, then pile a lot of mulch on top of the area we
just weeded. A week later we will do another sweep. The loose mulch
makes it easier to pull up the new growth from the inevitable roots
we accidentally left behind.
Besides doing our best to kill grass,
we are also planting grass.
Brian Campbell, horticulturist at the
Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, and champion of the
Butterfly Conservation Meadow, donated a couple flats of native
grasses and other plants grown from seeds collected at Cades Cove.
The flats consist of tiny plugs of potting soil with baby sprouted
grasses sticking out the top. More than one person has remarked they
are oddly adorable. Please see photo below.
Among the species we have planted in
the meadow are little bluestem and big bluestem, bunch-style prairie
grasses that have grown in Cades Cove since prehistoric times. This
prairie grass was mostly displaced by fescue and other livestock
forage grasses planted by European settlers. Park employees are now
working to reestablish the native grassland.
Bluestem grasses provide food and
habitat for small animals and birds including quail. Could it be
possible to attract quail to Parkridge?
We are planting these grasses into the
clay in the center of the lot where the house burned. Hopefully
they'll make it. Grow little grass plugs, grow.
