We converted 1/3 acre of lawn to native prairie wildflower meadow in 2021, because we wanted to add beauty and help wildlife. In response to the bee crisis, we have also invited a local bee-keeper to maintain a hive on our property.
Since our spring-fed creek is an ideal habitat for vulnerable species, our land was selected for a 2022 Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Stream Team project. AGFC replaced our small, rusty, rock-filled pipe and concrete (which restricted certain fish populations) with a beautiful stone bridge. Then, we helped them plant over 100 trees along the creekbank as a riparian buffer to benefit the habitat!
Half of our eastern acre is an 80-foot-tall forest and the other half is overtaken with invasive Johnson Grass. This Mediterranean plant grows 6 feet tall and is hard to kill. In 2022, we had the bright idea of shading it out by expanding our woodland! We purchased 150 native saplings for $50 from the Arkansas Forestry Department: redbuds, dogwoods, loblolly pines, oaks, pecans, mulberry, persimmon, bald cypress and more! The trees are only three feet tall now, but someday they will be beautiful and beat out that nonnative grass.
Because of all these efforts, Sparrow Springs officially qualified as a Certified Wildlife Habitat site with the National Wildlife Federation.
Come enjoy the wildlife and the solitude in our little treehouse retreat.
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