If you haven't gotten a chance to visit the beautiful restored meadow at Westbrook ES in Bethesda, take some time and go down there. It is in full bloom and some thing to see. I have never seen so many butterflies, bees and other pollinators in one place.
The meadow is the brainchild LFWA Vice President Lynnwood Andrews. She and her team of volunteers worked much of last summer and this fall to remove the grass that was along a tributary to the Little Falls Branch and replace with native flowers, grasses and trees. Only Phase One is completed. In the fall, we will work on Phase Two, where we will plant trees and shrubs in the area close to the stream and also expand the planted area further down the stream.
Thank you to Westbrook ES school children, their parents and AU students who were among the many volunteers who worked on the project. A special and belated thank you to Becca Dozier and Sam Keonig who interned for us last summer and did a lot of work on the project. The project was funded in part by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
Also in the works at Westbrook Elementary School is an outdoor classroom. We have already finished the first phase - labeling the native trees. The project is on hold until the Westbrook renovation is completed, but you can wander the campus and discover the names of the native trees. Look for the labels on Hackberries, Catalpa, Oaks and more!
The photo shows volunteers working to prepare meadow in fall 2010. We placed heavy cardboard over the grass and then covered it with mulch. The plot sat for a few weeks and then we planted over 1,000 native flowers and grasses. Above are garden in bloom in the summer of 2011. To see more pictures, visit HERE.