Weeds overwhelm wildflower meadow
Bentonville Parks Department plans to burn the field to control invasive plants.
Alongside the northernmost reaches of the Razorback Greenway, sandwiched between Lake Bella Vista and U.S. Highway 71, the wildflower meadow that was planted this spring has transitioned into a mass of weeds, including poison hemlock and ragweed that towers over pedestrians and cyclists on the trail.
Kathy Brushing, a Pineville, Mo., resident who works in Northwest Arkansas, said she stops to walk near the lake on her way home from work. Her husband, Jeff, drives down from the state line to meet her.
“I liked it when it was full of flowers,” she said. “It looks kind of scraggly now.”
The wildflower meadow, as well as Lake Bella Vista, is in the Bentonville city limits and is a Bentonville park.
David Wright, director of the Bentonville Parks Department, said that invasive species took over the meadow.
“I think it’s really important that we get this addressed,” he said. “It’s not the level (of maintenance) we normally provide.”
The plan to address the issue, he said, is to set up a controlled burn, which he estimates will be
done in November. The burn will be performed by igniting all four sides of the meadow and allowing the fire to burn inward until it runs out of fuel.
With this in mind, he said, there are a couple of reasons not to mow in the meantime.
“When you mow that,” he said, “you’re basically taking the seeds, you’re taking the invasives and you’re spreading it.”
Additionally, letting them grow more will allow for more fuel, which in turn will create a hotter burn, which will more thoroughly eradicate the invasive weeds from the meadow.
“There’s a lot of things we need to do to make sure we do this right,” he said.
There will not be a concrete date for the burn, he said, until the day it is actually performed. In all likelihood, a span of two weeks will be chosen in advance, and the burn will happen when the conditions are right.
This is to ensure optimal conditions, he said. The city wants to make sure the fire doesn’t end up creating a traffic issue on the highway, or send a lot of smoke to any of the nearby neighborhoods.
“It is a two month or so inconvenience,” he said. “You will be able to enjoy
the wildflower meadow much longer because of these burns. People will see that.”
Alycyn Culbertson of the Bella Vista Garden Club said that she personally plants a lot of wildflowers, and that’s all her garden really consists of. The focus of her own garden, she said, is to provide for butterflies.
“Wildflowers aren’t for somebody who wants a very manicured-looking garden,” she said. “They need to be left alone. That’s part of their cycle — they bloom and then they’re done blooming.”
Additionally, she said, many weeds, including several varieties of milkweed, are flowering plants in the springtime.
As far as burning, she said, she isn’t sure what exactly to expect.
“It’ll put some nitrogen and nutrients back in the soil,” she said, “but I don’t know what it will do to the wildflowers.”
Many plants may not be in bloom and looking their best this time of year, she said. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t serving a purpose. They may be providing food for birds and bugs, including caterpillars and the butterflies they’ll eventually become.
“Just because it isn’t pretty doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a place,” she said. “Sometimes your garden isn’t beautiful, but it serves a wonderful purpose.”