GRASSLAND AT NIÑO’S PARKWAY
native grassland
SACRAMENTO, CA | 2022
Working with Natomas Garden and Arts Club and funded by a SMUD Shine Award, Miridae designed and installed—with community volunteers—a quarter-acre grassland along Niño’s Parkway, a multi-use trail that runs through an underutilized utility corridor. The Grassland Garden demonstrates how a grassland corridor can provide important habitat, lower fire risk, and increase carbon sequestration, all while enhancing the appearance of and improving connectivity in the Parkway.
The Garden is a living laboratory for the community. It is located next to Strauch Elementary School and will serve as a space to teach area students area about carbon sequestration, pollination, and drought-resistant planting. The Grassland Garden serves as a model landscape for other utility corridors, and our team has an eventual goal of restoring the entire 2.5 mile-long Parkway to grassland habitat!
HIGHLIGHTED PLANTS
Achillea millefolium (Common Yarrow)
Asclepias fascicularis (Narrowleaf Milkweed)
Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia)
Eriophyllum lanatum (Woolly Sunflower)
Festuca californica (California Fescue)
Monardella villosa (Coyote Mint)
Muhlenbergia rigens (Deergrass)
Phacelia californica (Rock Phacelia)
Sporobolus airoides (Alkali Sacaton)
Stipa pulchra (Purple Needlegrass)
Situating the site within its local context
Existing conditions
Proposed grassland
Marking the grassland boundary with flags
Step 1: Volunteers distribute grasses and perennials in batches across the site
Step 2: Perennial “drifts” and specimen plants are placed first, followed by an even spacing of grasses
Step 3: The monumental task of planting begins! (Special shout-out to Miridae crew members Cele and Juan who saved the day with jackhammers)
Images by Miridae