Native Meadows & Savannas

Grasslands are one of the world’s most imperiled and least appreciated  ecosystems. This is especially the case in the Southeast U.S., where more than 99% of  grassland habitat has been lost to agricultural conversion, development and fire suppression. Virginia’s Piedmont had important grasslands and savannas that have all but vanished.  Sunnyside has converted approximately 40 acres of former orchard and pasture to native  meadow and savanna. We work with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Virginia  Working Landscapes program to monitor these areas and with similarly interested landowners  to share information on management approaches.

Conservations Practices: Establishing and managing a native meadow or savanna poses multiple challenges. Such habitats, while formerly present in the region, may never have existed on the property. (We have no definitive record of their being here.)  Accordingly, when we describe a meadow as “native”, we refer to the Virginia Piedmont and not necessarily  to the farm itself. We also try to avoid the word “restoration" in describing our management approach. Rather we see ourselves as effectively farming habitat for biodiversity with the goal of attracting and sustaining species that we know to be native to the area. With this background in mind, our approach includes removing invasive grasses and weeds, planting a diverse mix of native grasses and herbaceous plants (using the most genetically appropriate material we can find) and then managing so as to maximize structural and species diversity and prevent forest succession. In order to do the latter, we have experimented with various “disturbance” strategies, including carefully timed mowing and disking, prescribed fire and manual removal of encroaching trees and shrubs. We do our best to observe how various species respond to our management approaches and continue to evolve our practices to yield the best results for biodiversity.

Indicator Species: Bats (various species), Eastern cottontail rabbit, meadow vole,  Northern bobwhite, red-shouldered hawk, indigo bunting, common yellowthroat, American  goldfinch, field sparrow, pollinating insects (various species), butterflies and moths (various species), common milkweed, butterfly milkweed, New England aster, Virginia spiderwort, oxeye  sunflower, wild bergamot, wild quinine, little bluestem, broomsedge, Indian grass, Virginia wild  rye, white oak, shortleaf pine

Goods and Services: We are beginning to experiment with collecting and propagating native seeds from these meadows for sale locally.  Furthermore, native warm-season grasses like Indian grass and little bluestem have deep root systems that do an excellent job of holding water, building healthy soil and storing carbon. Our meadows also provide superb insect habitat, boosting the population of beneficial species that help pollinate our vegetables and tree fruit. Once established, these meadow habitats are relatively easy to maintain, saving the farm fuel and labor costs associated with regular mowing.

Explore Other Ecosystem Features

Orchards
Production Fields & High Tunnels
Hayfields & Pastures
Relic & Existing Farm Infrastructure
Native Meadows & Savannas
Ponds
Stream Corridors & Hedgerows
Forest
Manicured Areas