The Town of Essex is transforming two acres behind the Harrow Soccer Complex into a native butterfly meadow.
It's part of an effort to increase naturalized areas throughout the town, a priority identified in the Town of Essex Community Services Master Plan.
"This was a good initiative where we have a lot of land that was being unused and maintained as turf grass. So rather than continuing to maintain it as turf grass, we used feedback from the community, and we're using this space to create a wildflower and butterfly meadow area," said Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Jake Morassut
The planting was completed in partnership with the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) and the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Local students helped to plant some native species seedlings, and ERCA staff will plant a native seed mix on the remainder of the area.
"We're planting a native meadow, which is good for pollinators, ground-nesting birds, and increasing the biodiversity of the site. Going from just mowing two acres of grass to having a natural habitat," said Kate Arthur, a restoration biologist with ERCA.
It's expected to take two to three years to fully establish.
"I'll be working closely with the town to say how's it looking, are there thistles, are there phragmites, are there things like invasive species coming into the site that are going to threaten the establishment, and then we adaptively manage it. We help over a couple of years until we can get it well established," said Arthur.
The town is also currently naturalizing some areas along South Talbot Road.
Gina Pannunzio, ERCA's Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator, said restoring natural habitats is becoming increasing important to people in the community.
"People are invested in their communities and having native species that they can come visit, they can watch establish over time and they can see the benefits of it based on wildlife response and diversity," said Pannunzio.
