1 of 2
Photos by Sarah Owens.
The Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation Department, Environmental Sustainability Committee and a group of dedicated volunteers have joined forces to create a pollinator garden at Memory Triangle.
2 of 2
Photos by Sarah Owens.
The Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation Department, Environmental Sustainability Committee and a group of dedicated volunteers have joined forces to create a pollinator garden at Memory Triangle.
They recently began the planting process, building on the city’s designation as the first Bee City USA affiliate in Alabama, awarded in February 2023.
Mountain Brook earned the Bee City recognition after a series of community-driven efforts to support native pollinator species. Those efforts included installing a native plant pollinator garden at City Hall, forming the Environmental Sustainability Committee, launching an educational component on the city’s website about native habitats and hosting events to raise awareness.
As part of its second year as a Bee City USA affiliate, the city is transforming the formal gateway to Crestline Village — Memory Triangle — into a thriving native habitat for pollinators.
“The habitat will provide nectar, pollen and shelter for a variety of native insects and birds, and will support the pollinators through their entire reproductive lifecycle with a mixture of native plants that will bloom from early spring through late fall,” said Dana Hazen, the city’s director of planning, building and sustainability. “I'm very excited about the opportunity to use the Triangle to raise awareness in the community about the importance of native habitats to our ecosystem.”
The intersection has recently been under construction as Jefferson County undertook a major sewer repair project along the area’s perimeter. In the midst of this work, the city saw an opportunity to reimagine the triangle as a native meadow that supports biodiversity and ecological health.
The redesigned landscape takes on a more relaxed, natural appearance, shifting away from the traditional manicured lawn. The seed mix includes native grasses and wildflowers chosen to support native bees, butterflies, moths and birds. This natural habitat will also help sequester carbon in the soil and stabilize the ground in and around Memory Triangle.
Some of the native species to be introduced include black-eyed susans, butterfly milkweed, gray goldenrod, Indian blanket and Maryland golden aster.
Hazen hopes the project will set an example and promote an interest in and appreciation for a more relaxed feel in individual landscape design choices around the city.
What to Expect
- Topsoil addition and site prep: The first couple of months will involve soil conditioning and preparation to reduce weed seeds and encourage healthy meadow growth.
- Seed Mix: A native grass seed mix including millet, purple lovegrass and side oats grama will be planted.
- Wildflowers: A blend of 14 native wildflowers will be broadcast to take advantage of natural cold stratification.
- Native buffalo grass border: A 10-foot-wide strip of buffalo grass will frame the garden, providing a more intentional edge to the softer meadow center.
“The city acknowledges that the conversion of a grassy area to a meadow is a new, experimental project for us,” said Hazen. “The departments of Parks/Recreation and of Planning/Sustainability are learning the ins and outs of this type of landscape installation as they go. It is exciting that the city would go out on a limb to do something new, in this very visible location, to support pollinators.”
The city is also planning to build a roundabout at the intersection, but that project will not take place for at least three years and its impact on the new garden is unknown at this time.
