Module 4 focuses on the Planted Pollinator Meadow component of the Millennium Science Complex initiative, keeping the site’s overall goals and program in mind (please revisit the Planting Objectives, Program, and Guidelines provided at the beginning of the semester on Canvas). Module 4 comprises two sub-modules:

• Module 4a Meadow Palette and Concept, and
• Module 4b Technical Meadow Plan, Schedules, and Establishment Notes.

Recall that the Planted Pollinator Meadow was introduced in the Planting Goal, Objectives, and Program. In particular:

The Planted Pollinator Meadow is a planted herbaceous community that replaces the Millennium Science Complex’s vast, poorly used, and decidedly unsustainable turfed plateau. It demonstrates graminoids (mostly grasses, but also some sedges and rushes) and perennial wildflowers (‘forbs’) and their accompanying ecologies. The new, mostly self-sustaining—but still managed—plant community will serve as a learning environment for students, faculty, and visitors exploring meadow ecology, the essential roles of diverse pollinators, and establishment techniques. It should also be a pleasant and inspiring place to experience a richly textured, colorful, and animated setting close at hand.

Grasses will form the ‘backbone’ of the meadow complex since wildflower-only plantings tend to get spindly and turn weedy quickly. Two primary categories of grasses tend to dominate natural grasslands:  warm-season (mostly midwest and southern U.S.) and cool-season (mostly northeast and northwest U.S.)  We will not intermix warm- and cool-season grass meadows because they demand differing establishment approaches, even though in natural settings they will often co-mingle.

What will begin as a plant assemblage will, hopefully, become a largely self-sufficient habitat that only requires periodic management informed by regular monitoring.

So, the planted pollinator meadow ecosystem envisioned for much of the currently turfed area of Millennium Science Complex will be an herbaceous complex demonstrating mixed graminoid and forb communities. Once well-established in 3-4 years, this mostly self-sustaining installation will serve as a learning environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors exploring ecology, pollinator habitat, and associated techniques. As importantly, it should also be a pleasant – even recuperative and inspiring – place to experience a vibrant and richly textured setting close at hand.

While some of the meadow’s experience will be from along the existing perimeter sidewalks and even visually from surrounding buildings, the primary means of experiencing it will be via both the existing cross-meadow walkways and a new, more informal unpaved path system that allows pedestrians to immerse themselves in the meadow. Recalling our Module 1a analysis, your solutions should consider soil, microclimatic, landform, spatial, ecological, social, and functional conditions in and around the site.