Look at what Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Area have accomplished in 2022. Stewardship activities were made possible by the generous support of our volunteers and donors.
Stewardship Activities
Pollinator Garden Maintenance and Expansion
Areas of the pollinator garden planted last year were weeded and controlled for agressive non-natives.
In the summer of 2022, The Friends hired expert consultants to prepare a new ¼ acre plot to extend the existing pollinator garden. The area was tilled and solarized with plastic and covered with woodchips to control non-native plants such as Canada thistle.
Water management
One of the goals in 2022 was to improve drainage in the many areas of the park that develop standing water. In June the area north of the community garden was regraded by contractor to eliminate trapped water collecting in low areas. In the future, the redirected water will be used to make a rain garden northeast of the community gardens. Grass seed and straw mulch has been added to the disturbed areas.
In July, park steward, Dave, built culverts in Pioneer Woods to channel water off trails after heavy rains.
Trail Maintenance and Improvements
Park steward and interns enhanced trail entrances and improved trails near the Glen Leven park entrance. They spread woodchips on trails throughout the park.
Invasive Plant Removal
The Friends continued ongoing work to remove buckthorn and other weedy plants throughout the area. Park steward, Dave, cleared away invasives around the base of landmark and trees.
Goatscaping
In May, The Friends hired goats to help control invasive plants at the park. Our goatscaping herd worked a weedy section of the park that we have designated high priority for restoration. Five Boer goats browsed an area just east of the Project Grow Community Garden. The goats were confined by a temporary fence during their week-long stay, May 23-30.
Goatscaping is an ecologically beneficial and chemical free method for controlling weeds and restoring healthy landscapes. Goats love eating new shoots and leaves of problem plants such as buckthorn, honeysuckle, and poison ivy. This helps to weaken and eliminate these invasive plants and clear overgrown areas.
Planting of Serviceberries
On April 29, in commemoration of Arbor Day, The Friends in partnership with Pioneer High School Sustainability Club planted six Amalanchier serviceberry trees. The trees, planted along South Seventh, north of Scio Church Rd, will add seasonal interest to the park with spring blooms, summer berries and brilliant fall color.
Spring Prescribed Burn
A controlled burn in March left blackened patches on parts of the meadow. The Friends hired expert consultants to burn portions of the Greenview meadow to suppress invasive shrubs and encourage native wildflowers and grasses.
Different sections of the meadow are burned on alternating years to encourage native species, enrich the soil, remove dead thatch and supress invasives. Each year we have seen greater concentrations of wildflowers and native grasses as a result of these burns and the no-mow practices adopted by Friends.
In just a few weeks the burnt sections of the meadow turned green and were filled with grasses and colorful wildflowers. Watch the meadows bloom and observe butterflies and other insects this summer as you enjoy your walks in the park.
Butterfly and Wildflower Tour
Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Area, in conjunction with Ann Arbor Farm & Garden, conducted a Butterfly/Wildflower tour on July 16. Over the years, Ann Arbor Farm & Garden has generously provided grants to Friends of Greenview and Pioneer Nature Area for meadow restoration and wildflower enhancement.
Site Walk with Bob Grese
In late September The Friends of Greenview board members conducted an informative site walk with Bob Grese, retired Director of Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. Bob brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience and the Friends asked for his input on a variety of meadow or woodland management challenges. Bob suggested strategies for controlling invasives and aggressive tall grasses, and weeds in the newly established pollinator garden. Bob also recommended planting options for the wet, heavy-clay area of the lower meadow.
Remembering Jim Rogers
In 2022, with profound sadness but also immense appreciation, we noted the passing of Greenview Park’s first and long-time park steward, Jim Rogers.
Also dubbed “Captain Buckthorn” for his determination to rid Greenview of the pernicious invasive, Jim loved the Greenview/Pioneer Woods nature area. He was ever-present at the park; his contributions to its beauty, indeed to its very survival, are immeasurable. When he wasn’t wielding a chainsaw, Jim could be found clearing brush, mowing paths, walking trails. We thank Jim for his vision, and for his constant vigilance and daily oversight that made Greenview the treasure it is today.
Greenview Butterfly Report – 2022 Season
Greenview Butterfly Report for 2022
Marcy Breslow & John Swales
We made 26 visits to Greenview/Pioneer Woods in 2022, usually accompanied by Judy Lobato. In addition, we were helped in the early part of the season by Atticus Tanguay and in the latter part by Bill Sverdlik. The first visit was to Pioneer Woods on April 21; the last visit, to Greenview only, was on October 25. We found 35 species during these regular counts. An additional two species were reported: a Giant Swallowtail found by Marcy in the woods, and an American Snout found in the meadow by Roger Kuhlman. The latter is only the second record in the last 25 years for this rare immigrant from the south.
The season started slowly, but we ended up finding 1,719 individuals. Both the numbers of species and individuals are well above average and slightly higher than last year (32 and 1681 respectively).
Some regular species were found this year in smaller numbers than usual (Monarch, Common Wood Nymph, European and Tawny-edged Skippers), while the number of Least Skippers was dramatically higher, and the two regular swallowtails were found more often than usual. In contrast, to last year, a few immigrants appeared, although in very small numbers (in addition to the Snout, single Variegated Fritillaries and Buckeyes and four Fiery Skippers) at the end of the season. Species not found at Greenview this year included Spring Azure, Red Admiral and Question Mark.
We close by lamenting the continued spread of tall native grasses; our local butterflies much prefer flowering meadows to prairies. Below are details of species found, their total numbers and first and last dates, plus, in some instances, dates for the maximum seen.
| Species | total | dates | maximum seen |
| Cabbage White | 513 | (4/21-10/25) | 47 on 9/8 |
| Peck’s Skipper | 199 | (5/31-9/15) | 43 on 8/11 |
| Least Skipper | 172 | (6/11-9/8) | 68 on 8/18 |
| Little Wood-Satyr | 123 | (5/31-7/16) | 59 on 6/26 |
| Pearl Crescent | 102 | (5/24-10/1) | 20 on 8/2 |
| Clouded Sulphur | 97 | (5/13-10/25 | 16 on 9/16 |
| Orange Sulphur | 74 | (6/6-10/25) | 12 on 9/18 |
| Common Ringlet | 72 | (6/6-9/1) | 19 on 8/18 |
| Common Wood-Nymph | 45 | (7/9-8/2) | 18 on 7/18 |
| Eastern Tailed-Blue | 42 | (5/17-10/6) | 9 on 8/11 |
| Wild Indigo Duskywing | 37 | (5/13-10/1) | 5 on 7/9 |
| Common Checkered-Skipper | 32 | (5/24-10/1) | 9 on 9/8 |
| Tawny-edged Skipper | 31 | (5/31-9/8) | 12 on 8/11 |
| Monarch | 30 | (7/9-9/21) | 7 on 9/1 |
| European Skipper | 21 | (6/6-6/26) | |
| Black Swallowtail | 20 | (5/17-9/15) | |
| Eastern Tiger Swallowtail | 16 | (5/24-8/25) | |
| Summer Azure | 16 | (6/6-8/2) | |
| Northern Broken-Dash | 15 | (6/26-8/2) | |
| Zabulon Skipper | 12 | (8/11-9/15) | |
| Delaware Skipper | 9 | (6/26-8/2) | |
| Little Glassywing | 7 | (6/26-7/16) | |
| Baltimore Checkerspot | 5 | (6/18-6/26) | |
| Mourning Cloak | 5 | (4/21-5/13) | |
| Silver-spotted Skipper | 4 | (8/11-9/1) | |
| Fiery Skipper | 4 | (9/1-10/1) | |
| Eastern Comma | 3 | (4/21-9/21) | |
| Banded Hairstreak | 2 | (7/3-7/16) | |
| Great Spangled Fritillary | 2 | (7/16-8/18) | |
| American Lady | 2 | (5/17-7/9) | |
| Red-spotted Purple | 2 | (7/23) | |
| Hobomok Skipper | 2 | (6/18-6/26) | |
| Variegated Fritillary | 1 | (9/21) | |
| Common Buckeye | 1 | (7/16) | |
| Giant Swallowtail | 1 | (8/4) | |
| American Snout | 1 | (7/28) |
Butterfly count statistics from 2022 season