Fall is a good time to work outdoors

We collected seeds and did some other work today.


We spread woodchips around the bench.

Wet Meadow II Fills Up

With a melt-off and rain the very large Wet Meadow II fills to the brim with water.

Clare and I visited the wet meadow the evening of February 15. The the photos are dark, but we saw the three basins of the Wet Meadow II filled with standing water. A nice stream of water was flowing in from behind the ice rink. The road below the wet meadow has no huge puddles. In short, everything is working according to plan.

Also... we managed to sneak up on ducks in both the new and old wet meadows. And tried some nighttime photography.

Wet Meadow II Fall 2004 Update

It was a great summer for growing!

Since planting day, we've been hard at work making sure that things go smoothly at the wet meadow. It turns out that we didn't need to work as hard as we might have. It was a mild and wet summer. It got a little dry in the fall, so whe had to pull hoses and rely on the generosity of the neighbors who let us use their water spigots.

When all the plants were in, we worried that the ground was too hard, that the plants would dry out, that they'd be trampled... We were also told that if 40-50% of the plants survived, we should be happy. So we were ready for the worst.

We're here to report this fall that probably over 90% of the plants survived the first growing season! Things couldn't be better!

About the Wet Meadow

The Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow is a group of wet meadow ecosystems in Ann Arbor's Buhr Park. The wet meadows provide a habitat for native plants and animals, an attractive educational site for children, neighbors and other visitors, and an environmental filter for stormwater runoff from the park grounds.

Wet meadows are essentially large rain gardens. They capture water from rain and melting snow. They are full of native plants that use the water to grow. The plants have flowers that are used by butterflies and seeds that are eaten by birds. Usually the ground in the wet meadows is damp and squishy, like a damp sponge.

The concept of Wet Meadow has been germinating since 1992. The original meadow was planted in September, 1997, and the plants have thrived and bloomed ever since. The project has expanded with a second set of three basins, called Wet Meadow II on the west side of the park. More than 150 volunteers helped plant this in June of 2004. The wet meadows are thriving beyond our wildest dreams. Many thanks to the children, parents and others who helped make this possible.

To learn more, please contact Jeannine Palms 734-971-5870

planting the west wet meadow - June 5 2004

More than 180 volunteers gathered on a sunny Saturday to plant the three basins of "Wet Meadow 2" on the west side of Buhr Park.

We used the plants we grew from seed.


Jane told everyone about the process.


Soon everyone was planting.


Children and adults pictched in, using plants grown from seed.


People of all ages helped water the plants.


The three basins have carefully-engineered spillways lines with large stones. Thanks to Chris Mueller for his careful excavation and construction of the spillways.


Cooperation releases abundance.

Wet Meadow II Planting Day

Over 100 volunteers participated in planting on June 5, 2004.

Wet Meadow II Groundbreaking

With fanfare fitting the occasion, ground was broken on the new wet meadow on May 16. Jeannine Palms, among many others, took the ceremonial first scoops and the tiny hole was anointed with real rainwater.