Eastwood Riparian met on Sunday and gave the entry garden at Peavy and Creekmere a good spiffing up. It had a great year and robust growth, so there was a lot to clean up. But now you can see the beautiful red berries on the possumhaw. Today's gang included Declan Devine, a newly minted landscape architect who got some great native plant tips from our fearless leader Michael Parkey. Master gardener Janet Smith of Old Lake Highlands, whose front yard on Peavy just past Lake Highlands is a spectacular native plant oasis, joined us. Jeff Irish brought his two wonderful young daughters. Rounding out the crew was Amy Martin, who harvested Eve's necklace berries and inland sea oats and Indiangrass seeds for scattering in the greenbelt.
Cutting down the spent switchgrass. 
Jeff getting his daughter excited about her next task.
Beautiful possumhaw berries. They're tasty to birds once softened after a few freezes. 
Janet Smith rakes the garden. 
The gang hard at work as the spent foliage pile slowly grows. 
The foliage that had hollow stems were gathered and placed in the woods so that any pollinators overwintering inside will survive to emerge in the spring. 
Amy collected Indiangrass seed from the plot by the entry garden and scattered it where native grasses would benefit the greenbelt. 
The final result, ready for spring growth ahead. 
Michael and Declan cleared the fallen limbs blocking the woods path by the big pecan. 
Next up: The big meadow mow. Native plants emerge in late winter, staying very close to the ground and slowly growing in preparation for bursting out strong in the spring. Mowing the dried meadow foliages enables the low-growing plants to get the sunlight and rain they need—something wildfires and grazing animals used to accomplish. We'll need volunteers to go ahead of the mega-mower (like a lawnmower on steroids) and pick up trash and sticks that jam the blades.
Send an email to Michael Parkey to join the Eastwood Riparian fun.
Many thanks volunteers from all of Eastwood!