Berms and native plantings create “micro-habitats” surrounding a series of crushed aggregate paths and interior recreation spaces.
Ridgewood Park has gone out for bid! This park develops two existing parcels within Hyannis’s “tree streets” neighborhood. Extenstive community meetings has led to a plan for a series of undulating passive path “loops”, as well as a small play area, exploratory seating elements, and open lawn spaces defined by the paths. The Park is funded in-part through a Gateway Cities Park Grant.
The introduced topography and stormwater management gardens create a series of low-maintenance, low-growing microhabitats for small animals and insects in conditions ranging from dry, sunny slopes to wet, shady rain gardens around the perimeter of the site. Plantings will (hopefully) include Black eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), Blue Toadflax (Nutallanthus canadensis), and Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea), among others. While none of these small spaces could be considered habitat for large animals, the park itself can become a “stepping stone” between larger habitats on the Cape, and a source for forage for small animals and birds. The plantings can become habitat for smaller animals and create a source of native pollinators for the area. Native trees matching the “Tree Street” names of the surrounding neighborhood will help attract even more diversity to the site.
Within the path loops, low growing red fescue (Festuca rubra) and buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) will minimize the need for watering, fertilizing, and mowing the lawn area. These two species grow deep root systems and are drought tolerant. (For more information on creating low maintenance lawns, check out these articles from Sasaki Associates and Harvard Magazine, or this great research by Mark Simmons, Affiliate ASLA.)
We can’t wait to see this built! Stay tuned for posts on it’s progress and completion.