Pollinators have a new soft place to land in Indianapolis—right here at Newfields. Nestled between the Central Canal and the 33-acre lake in the heart of The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, insects and urban explorers alike will find the newly established Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow. This nearly two-acre space has been thoughtfully designed to be a sanctuary for native plants and pollinators and is Newfields greatest effort to date to improve biodiversity and support conservation of native species. 

This piece of land, on the banks of the White River, has been cherished and used in many ways over the last three centuries. From being the home of the Miami and Lenape peoples, and low floodplain forest, to being cleared for generations of agriculture farming and eventually mined for gravel used to complete the highway systems surrounding the Park. This land is important. Newfields, along with support from local philanthropists and founders of Wild Birds Unlimited, Nancy & Jim Carpenter, the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, longtime Newfields supporter Edgar Fehnel, and many others, have worked hard to restore it to a habitat of high-quality for our guests and wildlife.  

It’s widely known that pollinators are powerful—but why exactly are these small but mighty insects so important? 

The National Parks Service defines a pollinator as, “anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma). The movement of pollen must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds, and young plants.” 

With this simple action, pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat—this includes our fruits, veggies, and grains, but also food and habitat for animals we eat. This is a big job for such small creatures!  

Plants and pollinators have evolved together and need each other to survive. Without native plants, there would be no native pollinators, which is why it is important to have spaces like the Wild Birds Unlimited Meadow. The pollinator meadow is the result of nearly a decade of work. More than 40 acres of Amur honeysuckle have been removed and more than 70,000 native plants have been planted in the park since 2004.  A species composition study conducted by Butler University between 2004 and 2019, along with a subsequent floral inventory by Kevin Tungesvick, Ecologist at Eco Logic have shown that remediation efforts are working and will surely continue as the meadow becomes more established, season after season. 

Even now, after a frost or two early this fall, the Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow is blooming beautifully with asters and goldenrods, it is a wonderful time of year to take a hike and spend some quality time in nature. It’s not only beautiful, but it is also incredibly important to pollinators to have flowers blooming late into the season which provides critical food source for migrating pollinators. White heath-aster will bloom clear into November in Fairbanks Park! 

Visit the meadow often and you’ll discover something new each time. Favorite blooming native plants include native sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), and Joe-Pye (Eutrochium spp.). A beautiful variety of native bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, and even birds and bats benefit from the meadow. A few pollinators commonly seen in the meadow include, common eastern bumblebees, common paper wasps, sweat bees, monarch and yellow swallowtail butterflies, and hummingbird-moths. You’ll also find Ruby-throated humming birds, and sometimes the rarer Rufous hummingbird, which are currently mid-migration.  

The Virginia B. Fairbanks Park is free to visit and open daily from dawn to dusk. The Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow isn’t the only new addition you will find when you arrive. After significant soil stabilization, the path around the lake is open again, and welcoming walkers, joggers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Along the trail, you’ll find local artist, Shaunt’e Lewis’ work for the White River Alliance’s Art Canoe project, titled Water Access, Equity, and Affordability, which elevates the important role water plays in an equitable future—in Indianapolis and worldwide. 

The impact of the Wild Bird Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow isn’t just felt here at Newfields. This meadow is a seed source for all the neighborhoods surrounding Fairbanks Park.  These plants now have a chance to reseed in yards, alleys, and along the river, increasing diversity and the number of native plants throughout the city. You can help in this process as well!  

Join us and our partner Reconnecting to Our Waterways at the upcoming deadheading event in the meadow: 

Deadheading in the Wild Birds Unlimited Pollinator Meadow with Reconnecting to Our Waterways 
Saturday, November 12 / 1–3 PM 
The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park / Meet at the Wild Birds Unlimited Pollinator Meadow, on the edge of the lake 
Free for members and guests / Registration not required
 
Join Newfields and Reconnecting to Our Waterways White River Committee for an afternoon of deadheading. Learn about native plants and collect native seeds from the Wild Birds Unlimited Pollinator Meadow in The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park to plant in your home pollinator garden. You’ll get an envelope to carry your new seeds home, and a lesson in species identification, site preferences for each species, and how to sow native seeds for optimal germination. All ages and levels of experience are welcome to participate. Learn more at discoverwhiteriver.com.  

EXHIBITION CREDITS: 

The Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow was made possible by local philanthropists and founders of Wild Birds Unlimited, Nancy & Jim Carpenter, along with the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, and longtime Newfields supporter Edgar Fehnel. The Meadow was designed by Kevin Tungesvick of EcoLogic and plants were grown by Spence Restoration Nursery. 

IMAGE CREDITS:  

View of the Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow, Newfields, 2022.

Nancy and Jim Carpenter of Wild Birds Unlimited, “breaking ground” at the Pollinator Meadow, Newfields, 2022. 

View of the back of Lilly House from the Wild Birds Unlimited Native Pollinator Meadow, 2022.