In one of this summer’s most ambitious and rewarding projects, our Conservation Department and summer interns transformed a 15-acre former cornfield at our Lindsay Farm Preserve in Warrington into a native pollinator meadow, our largest and most diverse seeding to date.

A Legacy Landscape

Lindsay Farm Preserve, owned and protected by Heritage Conservancy since 1987, spans 192 acres of ecologically significant land. It is recognized as a Core Habitat in the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Inventory and lies within the Neshaminy Creek Conservation Landscape in Bucks County. The preserve includes a mix of meadows, fields, woodlands, and stream corridors that support a wide range of plant and animal life.

Aerial view of Lindsay Farm Preserve before planting

Tools of the Trade

To convert this particular field, the team used a tractor with a no-till seed drill attachment, a specialized piece of equipment that creates shallow furrows in the soil, places the seed at the ideal depth, and presses it in, all without disturbing soil structure. This method promotes healthy germination while maintaining soil integrity and microbial activity.

 “The seed drill helps with time and keeps everything uniform,” says conservation intern Tatiana. “I’ve never been on a tractor before that!”

Interns also hand-seeded the more sensitive or uneven sections of the field to ensure full coverage and diversity across the planting area.

Summer conservation interns hand-seeding the meadow

The custom native seed mix, sourced from Ernst Seeds, was designed to maximize habitat value. It included a wide range of upland and lowland species such as mountain mint, nodding onion, swamp milkweed, sneezeweed, purple coneflower, and joe-pye weed. Our conservation team decided to add in some native grasses like big bluestem and switchgrass, plus swamp rose mallow.

All in Good Time

While the transformation is already underway, native meadow restoration requires patience. These landscapes often take two to three growing seasons to fully establish, as plants build strong root systems before blooming. But with time, and ongoing care, this meadow will become a vibrant, self-sustaining habitat that supports pollinators, improves soil health, filters stormwater, and enhances biodiversity for years to come. 

Interns and staff monitoring the seed drill 

Our Lindsay Farm Preserve is becoming a living example of conservation in action, and an example of Heritage Conservancy’s long-term commitment to protecting and managing local lands for the benefit of nature and the surrounding community.

This former cornfield to pollinator meadow project was made possible by a $10,000 grant by Aqua Essential and Pennsylvania Environmental Council. Funding was awarded through the “Protect Your Drinking Water” grant program, administered by the PEC with funding from Aqua, an Essential Utilities company.