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Upland Meadow

Upland meadows are habitats that are commonly found in agricultural areas. The periodic disturbance of haying keeps these areas free of trees and shrubs. Meadows were never an extensive habitat in the northeast, as this area was historically forested. However, with the rise of agriculture in the 1800's, extensive areas of forest were converted to open agricultural fields. Meadows are an important habitat for birds and butterflies as well as a variety of plants and animals.

Teatown has approximately 30 acres of meadow habitat. The largest contiguous section of meadow habitat is at Cliffdale Meadows. There are approximately 20 acres of meadows at Cliffdale. This area was a former farm that was donated to Teatown. The area is currently fallow; however, teatown mows the fields every 2-3 years to keep trees and shrubs from becoming established. Grasses such as bluestem, red-top, and purple-top are common in the meadows as are plants such as milkweed, butterfly weed, dogbane, Queen Anne s lace, and various goldenrods and asters. The meadows are used by a variety of animals including deer, coyote, tree swallows, barn swallows, bluebirds, and countless butterflies and insects.

Conservation Issues

Meadow habitat is rapidly disappearing in the region as agriculture continues to decline. Once fields are abandoned by farmers, they either revert to forests or they are prime areas for development. The loss of this habitat is directly responsible for the decline in grassland birds throughout the region. Managing old fields to maintain them as meadows is a relatively easy process that adds to the biodiversity of our region. Education of landowners is a key component to conserving this habitat type.