I finally saw a native wildflower patch that looked totally different than 5 years ago

I went back to this field near my aunt's house in Ohio last weekend. Five years ago it was full of goldenrod and black-eyed susans, like a solid 30 feet of them. Now it's mostly tall grass and some daisy fleabane taking over. I think the soil must have changed from all the rain we've had the last two years, plus maybe the deer are eating more of the good stuff. It honestly made me a little sad walking through it. Has anyone else noticed a big shift in a spot they used to love?

2 comments

2 Comments

kim.stella11d ago

Oh man, that really bums me out just reading it! I had the same thing happen with a little meadow near my place a couple years back, it used to be covered in butterfly weed and now it's just this sad patch of crabgrass and thistle. What finally helped me was starting a tiny "save the spot" project where I pulled out the invasive grass by hand in a small section and reseeded it with some native seeds I got from a local nursery. It's not like it went back to what it was overnight, but after two seasons that one corner came back pretty strong and it felt good to do something about it. Maybe try that in one little spot if you're up for it, just don't expect a full reset lol.

laura_knight5411d ago

That's the kind of thing that really hits you when you have a spot you've been visiting for years. The shift in Ohio fields is something I've noticed too, especially with all the crazy weather patterns lately. You mentioned the deer eating more of the good stuff, and I'm curious if you've seen any new critters moving in that might be changing things up. For instance, are there more groundhogs or rabbits digging around in that patch now? It could be that their rooting around is helping the fleabane take hold while crowding out the goldenrod. What's the deer pressure like compared to five years ago?