New Planting Area in the Ravine

Scarlet beebalm photo by Rodney Olsen

Story by Janette Mason

Clang!   Ting!   Over the course of several weeks members of the Environmental Resources Committee dug in the rocky soil.  Over 100 volunteer hours were invested to establish a new planting area near the ravine entrance on South Barton Street.  This new area features several native Virginia plant species—Scarlet beebalm, Orange coneflower, Black-eyed susan, Purple lovegrass, and Smooth blue aster (see below).  These native plant species support a large number of butterflies and other pollinators.

The realization of this project involved several steps.  First of all, the area required “cleaning” because invasives had, as they typically do, taken over the site.   Volunteers pulled out Smartweed (Polyganum persicaria), Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and other invasive plants.   After this, volunteers turned over the soil to remove more invasive plants and to prepare the ground for planting.  Earth Sangha, a local nonprofit native plant nursery, provided the plants.  The final steps were planting, mulching, and generous watering.  Volunteers took great satisfaction in completing this project and look forward to enjoying a lovely restored area of the ravine with the rest of the Village.

Future work and plantings in the ravine can always use more hands. Please email ERC Chair, Rodney Olsen, at rfolsen@verizon.net to be added to the list or keep an eye on this blog:

New plants near the entrance of the ravine on South Barton Street

Common Name	Latin Name	Supported Species
Scarlet beebalm	Monarda didyma	Ruby-throated hummingbirds and many butterflies
Black-eyed susan	Rudbecka triloba	Butterflies:  Silvery checkerspot and Pearl crescent
Smooth blue aster	Symphyotrichum laeve	Silvery checkerspot caterpillar
Orange coneflower	Rudbeckia fulgida	A number of insects and pollinators
Purple lovegrass	Eragrostis spectabilis	Zabulon skipper caterpillars

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