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The Postage Stamp Prairie

Little bitty prairie, whole lotta' buzz!

It doesn't take much to roll out a welcome mat for your local bees, butterflies, and birds. Now you can support local native biodiversity in the smallest of yards (or in the smallest corner of the biggest of yards!) with a Postage Stamp Prairie.

Size Limit: 100-500 square feet

Cost: (Includes Site Visit, Creation of Custom Plant List, Ground Prep work, Plants, and Planting)
100 square feet: $1,300    200 square feet: $2,400    300 square feet: $3,450    400 square feet: $4,500    500 square feet: $5,600    
* There will be an additional cost if site prep requires invasive shrub removal or significant root removal. This can be discussed during your initial site visit.

What does the process look like?

Following an initial site visit, we will compile a natural grouping of native species suited to your location using our rigorous Natural Community Modeling research method.

We use ecological spacing and variety to ensure that the planting establishes quickly, functions like a natural community, and thus requires a minimal amount of maintenance. You should expect to weed a few times a year (to control non-native species invasion), and to cut back your “Postage Stamp Prairie” once a year (in late February).

How many plants come with the Postage Stamp Prairie?

Two hundred plug sized plants will be planted per 100 square feet. (If you are unfamiliar with the term “plug”, it just refers to a nursery grown plant that is very tiny, but robust, with fully developed roots. They typically reach maturity in the first season of planting.) Approximately one quarter pound of seed will also be planted per 100 square feet. Each natural community type has dominant species and those that occur in lesser numbers. For example, little bluestem is often a dominant species in high quality Piedmont Prairies, therefore that species may be a dominant grass in your installation. On the other hand, short-toothed mountain-mint occurs rarely and sparingly in the region, so, if it is deemed appropriate for your site, we may incorporate only a few of that species. You can expect that additional native species will actually volunteer to your site once we get this plant community restoration started.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Why the name “Postage Stamp Prairie”? Because postage stamps are tiny but powerful. It seemed to be a great metaphor for a tiny patch of prairie that propels biodiversity education in your neighborhood.

What’s a prairie? A prairie is an upland ecosystem that does not have a tree canopy. It’s the opposite of a dark forest. Prairies are bright, sunny, colorful, and buzzing with life. Prairies host a diverse mix of grasses, sedges, shrubs, and flowering perennials and annuals. Unlike what most of us have been told, prairies aren’t restricted to the mid-west. In fact, prairies, savannas, woodlands and other grasslands were once the dominant ecosystem types in the Piedmont region! Very little natural prairie remains today in the Piedmont due to the heavy impacts of modern agriculture and development. We hope to see natural grasslands return, as they typically host more diversity in plants and animals than other types of ecosystems in the region. Biodiversity has suffered heavy losses due to the loss of these forgotten grasslands.