The Value Of A Meadow

To the Editor:

The Newtown Conservation Commission would like to thank Amy Mangold and the staff of Parks and Recreation for recognizing the value of the meadow at Dickinson Park near Barb’s Trail and leaving it uncut throughout the late summer and early fall months.

While meadows do need to be mowed yearly to prevent woody and herbaceous plants from taking over, the timing of the cutting is crucial to nesting birds in particular. But the nesting birds are only a part of the story. The grasses and wildflowers that are allowed to grow support populations of many species — birds such as meadow larks and red wing black birds and pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, etc. Even the most casual observer can’t help but notice all the activity that takes place in a summer meadow. That activity, which is beneficial to both the plant and animal life, is disrupted when untimely mowing takes place.

There is another advantage to letting the meadow mature through the summer and early fall. As walkers on Barb’s Trail or even anyone driving by can attest, watching the field change from its summer green to its rich shades of autumn is a visual treat. And we had to do nothing to achieve this, except to let it grow!

 Thank you Parks and Recreation.

Mary Gaudet-Wilson

Chairman

Newtown Conservation Commission

12 Whippoorwill Hill Road, Newtown              September 30, 2012