J, wish I could have something nearby maintained in its wild state! Here, it is becoming increasingly urban--when I retire (7 more years??) I'd love to move further out where I can see more land, more hills, more trees and other greenery--would be wonderful.
I keep trying to encourage something like a meadow in much of my backyard--I have mowed paths around the garden beds and a few for traversing the yard, but otherwise am trying to encourage 'wildness'. The unmowed grass is quite long--up to my waist-- but the wildflowers are slow to grab hold since the grass itself is thick. I am not sure how to change this. There are patches where eg wild violets and creeping charlie have taken over--but that's not what I envisioned either!
(Although these are pretty in the spring...) The Verbena bonariensis has spread out into the lawn and reseeds itself successfully each year, and of course the spiderwort spreads happily (talk about a native that's happy in my yard!!). If anyone has suggestions for encouraging more wildflowers in a former lawn, would love to hear them!!
Upat, I am amazed and inspired by your efforts to control the deer and limit the invasives! I didn't know deer prefer smooth trails--I guess that is another reason to keep my grass in the backyard long and up to their chests!!
