URBAN MEADOW MAGIC
Nurturing wildlife through resilient native plants.
Nurturing wildlife through resilient native plants.
For additional language translations: https://translate.google.com/about/
Don’t be shy - using the pathways, wander through for a closer look!
This mini-meadow helps birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators
Providing seeds for birds to eat
Offering native host plants. Host plants provide food for caterpillars to help them complete their life cycle
Providing habitat, nectar and pollen to pollinators and beneficial insects
This mini-meadow attracts birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators
offering a wide and necessary variety of native “host plants”
providing food and habitat to sustain their lifecycle which ultimately
sustains our food crops like apples and blueberries
Can you find any pollinators or signs of their activity in the meadow?
The magic of the native plants found here is their toughness and adaptability
improving the quality of air we breathe by removing carbon dioxide
adapting their needs to local climate conditions like heat and drought
Can you identify the parts of a plant from the mini-meadow?
The native plants’ deep roots filter and slow heavy rainfall
helping to prevent soil erosion while filtering contaminants from our storm drains
helping keep our drinking water clean
Can you locate where excessive rainfall drains to? Hint - follow the sidewalk!
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Create some mini-meadow magic in your yard
Make every inch count for plants AND pollinators
Plant native flowers, trees and shrubs
Clean water starts with us
Don’t use chemicals or sprays to eliminate mosquitos or pests
Keep litter, oils and chemicals from going down storm drains
No tengas timidez – usando las veredas, ¡paséate para mirar más de cerca!
Este mini-prado ayuda a las aves, las abejas, las mariposas, y otras criaturas que polinizan
Proveyendo semillas para consumo de las aves
Ofreciendo plantas nativas hospedadoras. Las plantas hospedadoras proveen alimento y ayudan a las orugas para que completen su ciclo de vida
Proveyendo hábitat, néctar y polen a los polinizadores e insectos beneficiosos
¿Puedes hallar polinizadores o rastros de su actividad en el prado?
La magia de las plantas nativas que se encuentran aquí, consiste en su resistencia y capacidad de adaptarse.
Mejorando la calidad del aire que respiramos, al quitar el carbono dióxido.
Adaptando sus necesidades a las condiciones locales de clima, por ejemplo, calor y sequía
¿Puedes identificar las partes de una planta del mini-prado?
(flor, tallo, hoja, raíz)
Las raíces profundas de las plantas nativas filtran y detienen el agua de un aguacero, evitando
Así la erosión y a la vez sacando los contaminantes que surgen de nuestros alcantarillados
Manteniendo pura nuestra agua potable
¿Puedes localizar a dónde se va el exceso del agua de la lluvia?
(Sugerencia: ¡Sigue labanqueta!)
¿QUE PUEDES HACER?
Elabora un poco de magia de mini-prado en tu propio patio.
Haz que cada pulgada cuente para las plantas Y los polinizadores
Siembra flores, árboles y arbustos nativos
El agua pura empieza con nosotros
No uses sustancias químicas ni rociadas para combatir moscos ni insectos nocivos
No dejes que entre ni basura ni aceite ni sustancias químicas al alcantarillado
(Mariposa Monarca en Hierba de Mariposa - Mantis de Carolina)
Wild Seed Project 4 lesson plans, adaptable for Pre-K through 12
CornellLab k-12 Education lesson plans and resouces
Habitat Scavenger Hunt Cards (beginner and advanced, Spanish and French versions available)
Bee & Pollinator Activities k-12
PennState Center for Pollinator Research supporting k-12 educators with educational resources
A Weeks Worth of Activities and Actions to Protect Pollinators recognizing the importance of pollinators and biodiversity
PA STEELS Standards k-12 Pennsylvania's Science, Technology & Engineering, Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards
Wild Earth Lab nature-inspired art projects for kids
Art Projects for Young Artivists with corresponding read along books.
Artful Kids art and nature and education!
5 Nature Crafts for Kids easy projects that explore the natural world around them.
United States Botanic Garden Drawing and painting plants and pollinators. (Advanced)
Only Rain in the Drain informative and engaging information for kids about stormwater
Stormwater Runoff and the City of Lancaster Combined Sewer System.
National Geographic Kids and the Life Cycle of Flowering Plants
Pollinator Life Cycles HereforthePlanet.org explores the life cycle of many pollinators. Lessons offered in multiple languages.
Why, What, When, Where, Who, How of Pollination from Smithsonian Gardens
The Importance of Pollinators from the USDA
Waxwing Ecoworks Co Resources: Instructional videos, recommended books, blog, articles, plant lists, etc...
Penn State Native Meadow Resources: The importance of native meadows and resources for starting your own at home or within a community.
Converting Your Lawn to Meadow: A why and how-to guide from Penn State.
Pennsylvania's Pollinators Penn State pollinator resource
Nature Apps:
SEEK by iNaturalist - species identification app
Budburst - citizen science app for educators and individuals
The Great Sunflower Project 2025 join citizen scientists at work to protect pollinators
CornellLab K-12 Education bird resources
The Firefly Project exploring fireflies for young scientists
City of Lancaster Stormwater Grants and Incentives
Love Your Block Community Building Grant: resident empowered improvement projects.
Install a Neighborly Natural Landscape: One man's garden is another man's lawn of weeds! Learn some design ideas to keep the peace in your neighborhood.
Get Involved: Lancaster Conservancy, Alliance for the Bay, Gardens Gone Native, The Edible Classroom, List of Local Gardening Organizations