Skip to content
Burning the meadow

Meadows

Meadows provide habitat for butterflies, birds, and small mammals and delightful vistas for residents. Without annual mowing our meadows, farmland for over a century, would give way to pioneer trees — cedar. sweetgum, sassafrass, winged sumac — and in time become forested once again. The governing board of Medford Leas is committed to the ongoing task of maintaining and improving the meadows on both campuses and to the use of native species.

Even with mowing, invasives are a continuing threat. In 2012 there was a controlled burn on the North Meadow of the Medford Campus. There are brief videos and a slideshow of the burn.

The meadow at Lumberton is a swale which fills dramatically after a heavy rain. “Robin in the Rain” is from a 2005 slideshow of photos taken during a walk through the Lumberton meadow during a light rain. In Lumberton the battle against Mugwort required use of chemical sprays in 2012.

Robin in the Rain

Robin in the Rain — 2005

Lumberton meadow after a heavy rain

Lumberton Meadow on June 8, 2013


 

Photo credits: Banner – Maggie Heineman; Meadow Burn – Dave Bartram; Lumberton Swale – Maggie Heineman; Robin in the Rain – Maggie Heineman