Wait until you see this guys - I am on the board over this thing now and waht a mess.. you would see giant reed and cattails all around the edge but they cut them down for fall - yep cut them down so people could see the ducks.. . I have never seen a duck here yet but here goes...
Now would you want to take a wheel chair up this path?
3 - Daffs,,, and tulips,, and such in a wetland?
4. The paths - sorry so blurred...
5. View of the big pond.. no cover left for wildlife...
6. The water level - with tumble weed... we really care about the birds having a place to rest on their way South
7. Showing spout - yes they pump this full of clean city water... just what wildlife wants.
8. on the other side Iris... loads of Iris..
9. The mowed down stream...
10. Golden rod in the sun.. one of the few natives...
11. - bad take..
12. There are Roses on thoses forms... roses and a vine I have not seen before, no blooms so far so I am still waiting...
13. Yep it is - a butterfly bush... really there are about 50 of these all over the place - good for the butterflies I am told..
14 More of the stream bed... looks more like a path right?
15. Last one... look off towards my home... several of those trees in this pic are princess flower... several...
So how do you like our - "mostly native" wetland?
They are going to drive me crazy to try to help them figure this all out... all they have right now is a big play area for highschool students - they clean up beer bottles daily... very sad..
But that sky is beautiful!
It's good size piece of land. Not much there now, but that's what most places start from.
A challenging project, but it's nice that there is a project like this. This means things may
change.
Here at the UW-Madison Arboretum there is a wetland area too. Actually more wet wetland area
as it is by a lake. Reeds are not cut ever. There are board walks into them for people to use for
watching the birds. I think, board walks are great. You can get to the deeper end where there's a bit
of open water and you may see ducks, but on the way you see other birds, and the dry reeds are
a shelter for them and the soil. Also dry reeds are a shelter the watches from the birds.
Also along the board walks there are benches and a little pergola at the end. You can sit there
in the summer heat to cool down and listen to the rustle of the reeds and chirping of the birds.
so the powers that be will put water in here on request, and are asking you to help it along as a wetland? sorry, but I'm in MD and we are usually trying to preserve where water occurs already. Or would this be a seasonal wetland? I'm interested to see how others suggest this be done.
The powers that be took out a wetland area for some new big homes and are now building this thing to make it up... they have to build this for the birds they displaced.. and yes there is no natural water here so they add water when they feel like it.. they claim in time there will be a natural (yes this si what they claim) wetland here with its own stable water force...
I thinlk they should have kept the real thing there are very very few here in central Texas but I am not the powers that be...
I llustrating the idiocy of the way they allow development here too, as long as the developer replaces the area somewhere.... so the birds go to a hotel while they wait for the new place to be ready? I think I just saw a show on Animal Planet, had part on a manmade wetland , showed the guy who goes out all the time to manage the water level.
Mitch, I am wondering about the soil qualities of wetland vs reclaimed land. This isn't really my area of any sort of expertise, but I would imagine that wetland is rather acidic, dense particled soil. What happens when one wetland is drained and another area designated - do they pick an area that has similar soil conditions, albeit, not wet? I'm asking out of interest.
We developed a damp bed last year to take the run-off from our barn away from the path area - and one of my concerns was what do I need to add to the soil (heavy clay) to make it suitable for damp planting. We did double dig the area - incorporating some very heavy manure (heavy in that it was rotted, but still sticky) then back filled the soil onto the manure. This has made the clay more friable, but has also neutralised the acidy some (we have a tendency to be neutral to acid, and this area is neutral now).
We have had good growth in the bed all summer, but I am wondering if it would pay to bring the acid level back up a bit and was thinking that perhaps this bed should be mulched with leaf mulch or chopped bracken rather than compost. Or will the bed return to its natural slightly raised acidity in time. Any thoughts?
They just picked a big empty area by our city park and claimed it - they did not do any test or trial... nothing more then go and pick a place, move the dirt around and let it be called a wetland...
Am I missing something? I don't understand how this site was chosen. Try as I might, I don't see so much as one wetland indicator present and I clicked on all of your photos. The butterfly bush was speshul, a real high quality native plant- tee he.
That's Ellis County, right?
Try as you might, I don't see this ending up as any type of a wetland because I doubt seriously if there will ever exist a "stable water force". Actually, I'm not familiar with the terminology stable water force at all and it sort of sounds like something somebody created on the spot to toss out on the table to sound good. However, I can certainly envision a native plant conservancy for local flora and fauna in which the property showcases created water features.
Work with what you have. You have a great chunk of property there that will someday become excellent habitat for wildlife. This is doable. You can do it. Congratulations on rolling up your sleeves and accepting the challenge. They couldn't have selected a better person.
Dallas Co... 3 blocks from the Ellis Co line.
Nope just picked at random... funny thing the old pond area is flooding out the yards often
This is going to be more of a wild life habitat... they have to claim wetland they claim for the papers to take out the old wet land area to be ok...
Gee, shame they didn't build the houses where they're attempting to create a wetlands habitat. I bet those homeowners aren't going to be all that happy about having swimming holes for yards.
I really hope that they dont.. but it is close very close to getting into the city anyway...
Mitch, I didn't know you had been put on the board. What a great opportunity, at least you could try to restore the prairie if nothing else, I am sure you will be a good influence in bringing it around to native plants.
You just have to be patient, it is a slow process, and when you have to have other people's approval even slower, but little by little you will get there, and what a joy it will be!!!
Josephine.
Slower then slow... sooo very very slow.. I am on the board - not hard to do with only 2000 people in the city... not sure I will able to do much but that claim and are going to have to 75% native at least...
Good to see you over her Josephine, I was just braging about Texas Star on here in another thread...
Thank you Mitch, I am very excited for you, I bet in a few years you won't even recognize the place.
Just keep at it and be patient.
Josephine.
Hi Mitch,
Interesting and challenging project you have there! This past summer I saw a couple of "wetland creation" projects in my county that were dependent upon spring and fall run-off from fields. The ponds dried up completely in summer, but provided enough dampness at other times to attract water-loving wildlife and migrating birds. (There were certainly a lot of mosquitoes present!) Can you get clean rainwater diverted from drainage ditches into your site?
Not where it is at...
Josephine I really hope so... If I have my way it will be totally new in a few years too..
This is a tool currently being developed that you may or may not find useful-
http://npdc.usda.gov/technical/plantid_wetland_mono.html
It has its limitations-
Just a word of caution when using this key - it only includes the monocot species found on the "National List of Vascular Plant Species That Occur in Wetlands" . Many monocot species found in wetlands have not been included in this list. So when you use this key, make sure the plant that you hold in your hand matches the description in the key. Hopefully, it proves to be another good tool in your toolbox of plant identification tools...
Looks like it might be a great tool... going to have fun playing with that one!
Do I understand that there are currently giant reed and cattails growing?
"giant reed and cattails all around the edge but they cut them down for fall"
So with no stable water supply how can those survive?
They flood it several times a year and keep it wet most of the summer... just not full
That seems expensive and wasteful. Native plants option sounds like a better one all the way around:
sustainable, great for education and recreation, economical.
Yep... my thoughts.
Backing up to this,
Try as you might, I don't see this ending up as any type of a wetland because I doubt seriously if there will ever exist a "stable water force". Actually, I'm not familiar with the terminology stable water force at all and it sort of sounds like something somebody created on the spot to toss out on the table to sound good. However, I can certainly envision a native plant conservancy for local flora and fauna in which the property showcases created water features.
That is what I think too. I think that the Dallas county Master Naturalists could be a great help to you, and also the county agent, you need to try as many avenues as you can.
Josephine.
