Wet Meadow Restoration Year 4 Sept 2021

This area was devastated by deer browsing, so I fenced it off four years ago to see what plants would emerge. At one time plants such as fringed gentian, marsh marigold and trillium could be found in this area, but the pressures of development and a lack of natural predators caused the deer population to increase to unsustainable levels. The deer used to be selective, preferring to browse only native species, but with the elimination of natives from the understory and surrounding areas, they now eat just about anything they can find including invasive, non-native plants they used to reject such as multiflora rose and Japanese honeysuckle. In the four years since erecting the fence, it has been amazing to see the plants that have reappeared. They include asters, turtlehead, sedges, rushes, Jack in the pulpit, ferns, willow herb, evening primrose, native loosestrife, germander, St. John's wort, eupatorium, bidens, lobelia, ludwigia, and others. I seeded the area with some species (including fringed gentian, which I hope will recolonize the area) but most have emerged on their own. Woody plants such as Salix discolor (Pussy Willow), native blackberry, viburnum species, red & white oak and red maple seedlings have also appeared. I want to maintain a sunny wet meadow, but will encourage these woody plants along the perimeter and some within the meadow area. Management challenges include removal of invasive species (multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, mycrostegium, mile-a-minute vine, wine berry) and controlling native species that are prone to be invasive (mainly goldenrods and some of the grass species)