I don’t think we would have made it through 2020 without a steady diet of nature programs. From Britain’s Gardener’s World, to Huw Richards’ YouTube channel, to PBS Nature documentaries, we found ourselves routinely escaping to the country (and yes, that’s another show, although not about nature per se). But no program was more influential than the Self-Isolating Bird Club. Hosted by British naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham and his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin, this weekly YouTube program inspired people to document wildlife sightings in their own back yards, and guest appearances from wildlife experts around the UK explored a number of topics related to conservation and the environment. From Chris and Megs we learned about rewilding, and those lessons came back to us a year later, when we moved to Willow Greens Farm.
Rewilding has been around for a while in the hearts and minds of biologists and environmental activists, and is now a growing movement with major initiatives in several countries. In North America, work is underway to restore prairie grasslands and reintroduce bison to create a prairie reserve. The UK has sponsored several reforestation projects, and the Knepp Estate in West Sussex has emerged as a model for rewilding abandoned farmland, establishing an ecosystem driven by nature.
Willow Greens’ potential for rewilding was evident from the start. Between the house and the road, a large expanse of lawn required weekly mowing from April to November to keep it in the manicured condition expected by suburban HOAs (let’s pause here and give thanks that we are not governed by an HOA). About half of our 7 acres was pasture maintained for grazing, despite this land having been devoid of livestock for years. And wildlife-friendly shrubs and pollinator plants were confined to the Terrace Garden and a long narrow stretch along the south property line.
I often wonder what this land looked like back in Timothy Taylor’s day. Well, for starters it was a working farm, and the family operated a mill nearby. Taylor’s family wouldn’t have had time or inclination to maintain the Great American Lawn. Quakers — even ex-Quakers like Taylor — lived simply. The primary purpose of the farm was subsistence; they most likely cultivated a kitchen garden but few ornamental plants. They may have kept bees, and most certainly cows or sheep. I like to imagine a variety of wildlife made their presence known, from deer and foxes, to owls, raptors, and songbirds. These species are still with us today, but with every housing development and shopping center, they lose valuable habitat.
So we asked ourselves: how do we make our patch as wildlife-friendly as possible? One of the underlying principles of rewilding is simply to leave the land alone. So we have largely ignored the pasture, and allowed all manner of grasses, native and otherwise, to emerge. We’ve also left trees standing, even if they’re not in great condition, as long as they aren’t dangerous.
But the perimeter fence needs work.
And that’s a topic for another day.
I can't wait to see what your pasture will look like in a couple of years.
We are so fortunate in our area of Ontario to have original 100+ year old cedar rail fences. These are either maintained by farmers or rebuilt by split rail fence builders (usually old farmers). Ours tend to be zig zag in style, running into a tripod holding structure, five rails high, or straight line rails running into a squarish structure on which the long rails rest. I'm so pleased to see cedar rails on your property too, and hope that one day you might be able to restore them.