The speed of creating an opening and sculpting the edge between the woods and prairie was amazing! In just a few days, David Perrey removed trees and placed them for Bill Wilson to trim and haul away. A few scattered trees remained standing (as we wanted) after the heavy machines departed. David suggested that we cut a really big cedar tree and use it like a dragging rake to smooth the ground .

So today our latest addition to the groundskeepers team, Duncan Foss, drove the tractor around with a cedar while Matt Barnes and Jamie Coe helped to cut, pile and burn any remaining woody debris.

Henry and I walked around after they were done and the areas looked great—as though a fresh seedbed had been created. The soil is really dusty since we haven’t had rain, but that has been a blessing in allowing the heavy equipment to move around without compacting the soil badly or creating ruts.  Now we have the pleasure of planning the native flower (and a very few native grass) seeds to cast over the ground in the next month or so. We also expect some of the natives that were in the open woods to come back. But who knows which ones will return? And then there’s always the threat of invasives….