Lee’s Summit Parks & Recreation has been proactive in regards to leaving significant areas in parks as “native“ or natural habitat while also establishing wild flower and native grass areas because of the numerous benefits of “natural landscaping”. These types of areas give park patrons a chance to experience and appreciate a part of nature that is not typically seen in a city environment. The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently published “Green Acres, A Source Book on Natural Landscaping for Public Officials”, that includes the benefits of natural landscaping. Below are many of the benefits cited in the report.
Maintain Costs & Energy Conservation
Natural areas are less costly to establish and maintain. Native perennial plants are well adapted to the local soils and to environmental conditions such as summer heat and drought. The costs labor, water, fertilizer, herbicides and mowing are reduced. The reduced use of fossil fuels for lawn maintenance equipment is also a benefit. Typical maintenance requirements of natural landscapes are simple, involving annual mowing or burning, and some weed removal. The combined costs of installation and maintenance for natural landscapes over a ten year period may be one fifth of the costs for conventional landscape maintenance.
Water Quality, Soil Stability & Quality
Natural landscaping increases water quality and reduces runoff and erosion by increasing infiltration. The roots of native prairie plants are dense, very deep (5-10 feet) and hold soil well. By contrast, typical turf grass root systems are only four to six inches deep. The dense, deep root systems augment the permeability of the soil. An additional benefit of native vegetation landscaping is its ability to thrive without fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Turf grass and other conventional landscapes are heavily dependent on chemical applications, and the excess chemicals can find their way into our waterways. By increasing infiltration less storm water runs off into the waterways and storm drain systems. In many ways, natural landscaping reduces the stress that the "weed-free" lawn places on clean air, clean water, soil stability and other environmental qualities of life.
Air Quality
Natural landscaping can improve air quality. Lawn maintenance equipment creates significant amounts of air pollution. Equipment such as lawn mowers, chain saws, leaf vacuums, and other fossil fueled lawn maintenance equipment emit high levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. The USEPA estimates that a gasoline powered lawn mower emits 11 times the air pollution of a new car for each hour of operation. Natural landscaping can significantly reduce the need for motorized equipment thereby reducing the associated air pollution.
Natural landscaping plays a part in attracting native animals. The clumped structure of native grass and wildflower communities make them ideal habitat for wildlife that depend on grasses for food, nesting and cover. The bare ground between grass clumps provides nesting space for migratory songbirds, especially those species that have declining populations as a result of the disappearance of nesting habitat. Native insects, including butterflies and moths, attract a wide array of songbirds, which eat the insects and the plant seeds.
Beauty
The aesthetics of natural landscaping are another benefit. There is an increased variety of textures, colors and shapes in the landscape and a progression of hues throughout the seasons. Wildlife, especially birds and butterflies attracted to the plants, enhancing the aesthetic appeal of natural landscaping.
Education
Natural landscaping provides an educational opportunity as well by putting people in touch with a variety of plants. People can gain a sense of being in a unique and special place. Natural landscapes invite patrons to appreciate plant diversity, seasonal flowering cycles, sustainability of native landscapes, and wildlife habitat, all of which are absent in conventional landscapes. By incorporating native landscaping throughout the community, it also offers the opportunity for children to experience and learn from nature and provides opportunities for students and people to study nature.
Passive recreational opportunities are increased with the use of natural landscaping. Natural landscapes provide opportunities such as bird watching and photography. Recreational activities such as walking, running, bicycling and skating are extremely popular. Increasingly, these activities are accommodated by our local trails and greenways in the natural areas.