Alveary Wildlife Habitat
By Danielle Merritt-Sunseri
We bought a small homestead in North Carolina several years ago. The original family that lived here kept horses on the property and we initially thought we would homestead but ended up deciding to convert the old pastures to wildlife habitat instead. At first, we thought this was essentially an easy win-win: just don’t take care of the old fescue and let nature take it back. But two different wildlife biologists that visited to consult independently corrected that notion. Our fescue would not only not yield easily to native plants, but it can’t support much wildlife and was infested with invasive species. So, we began planning and working away at it.
Last year I managed to kill off a large patch of that fescue and we’ve watched many natives grow up in its place. The field of yellow Tickseed, Wildrye, and Bluestem waving in the sun has been beautiful and encouraging.
Still, there remained a large bit of stiltgrass on the edge of this field that did not cooperate with my plans. This invasive did die back, but it left behind a thick mat of hay, preventing all of my precious native seed from reaching the soil. So, part of the plan for this year was to cover it with sheets of farm plastic for the summer to let the strength of the sun compost it for me. This easily took care of the large patch of fescue, so I had no doubt in my wisdom… until I pulled up the plastic and found that stubborn mat of hay still lying there!
Needless to say, I was incredibly frustrated. Despite all of my hard work, there is more hard work needed before seed can be sown. “Was it worth it? Was any of it worth it?” I wondered aloud, my stunning wildflowers banished from my mind for the moment. Just then, movement caught my eye and as I looked to my left, I saw a beautiful butterfly alight in an exposed patch of mud. I think it was probably a Viceroy, a smaller butterfly that mimics the Monarch. I smiled as I thought, “Yes, okay, it was worth it.” And as I turned away, I noticed a couple of Darners acrobatting through the air. We always have many dragonflies, but usually only common Skimmers and Damselflies. As I worked my way over to the end of the patch, it was getting late and the bees were finishing up their work for the day in my Tickseed. It was covered in their fuzzy wiggles and buzzes as they picked up as much treasure as they could for their colony wherever that may be.
I was so grateful for all of this encouragement even though I didn’t have my camera with me to capture the impression with anything but my memory. (I did go back to capture some of the plant life for you, however.) Such encounters are needed as we do the work of stewardship, whether we are stewarding a working farm or our homes. If you haven’t joined the Alveary Wildlife Habitat yet, consider planting a pot or a few shrubs this fall. I promise that you will be rewarded with some new visitors to thank you for your efforts!
The Alveary Wildlife Project has planted 26,490 square feet of native habitat (that’s over half an acre) of native plants for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife! And you can be part of it! Create an account and select Alveary Wildlife Project as your organization to join us in this year-long initiative.
Lesson Plan Spotlight
Short lessons leave the afternoons free for students to explore their passions, and Alveary’s Afternoon Occupations book list is packed with inspiring ideas. A few highlights include Tasting History, The LEGO Architect, and The Master Theorem. Explore the full list on the dashboard under Books.
Notes
- Office Hours: You can find the recording from our latest Office Hours featuring Denison Math here.
- In the Company of Ideas: Looking for your next read? Dive into our October book: Charlotte Mason's Great Recognition. We’re excited to host a live discussion with one of the authors. Join the conversation!
- Student Showcase: Creating is a big part of a Charlotte Mason education, from handicrafts and poems to artwork, compositions, and lab reports. Often, one of the most popular parts of a CMI conference is a display of students' work, and we're hoping to share this inspiration more broadly! If your student would like to share their work with the CM community, please upload it here and watch for CMI blogs featuring collections of work over the coming months!
- Conference: The Guiding with Grace Virtual Conference Ticket is still available! Gain access to all keynote sessions plus 23 professionally recorded workshops. Want a preview? Enjoy these short snippets for a taste of what’s waiting for you. Shakespeare Everywhere and Classroom Management Tools
- Book Sale: Purple House Press is offering 20% off select titles. No code needed. The discount will appear automatically in your cart.
