MANSFIELD — A few weeks ago, Becky Scheidler was scrolling on social media searching for inspiration to start gardening again, a favorite hobby of her past.
“I did it a lot when I was younger with my grandmother, and it’s something in the spotlight again for me recently,” she said. “If I’m going to have a garden, I need to also have wildflowers to bring pollinators to my garden.”
The importance of wildflowers to a garden is no small thing. They provide a habitat for pollinators (which 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend upon to reproduce), prevent erosion, and improve water quality and soil health.
So wildflowers were already on Scheidler’s mind when she came across an article about the United Kingdom embracing the “meadows revolution.” Such a revolution means letting a well-manicured lawn grow out to make way for “managed messiness” that allows wildlife to thrive.
It got her thinking: Could this be possible on a larger scale in Mansfield?
She sent the Guardian article to the Richland Source newsroom with a note:
“I know how we all complain about how our city is not that beautiful…I need someone to help present this to the city and area businesses and see if we can do something like this.
“I thought it was something that would brighten up the area and give people hope and encouragement. I wish there could be more community involvement…
