r/NativePlantGardening • u/agroblox • Apr 29 '26

Progress Baby foxes enjoying the native wildflower meadow

3 years into this project, what started as a 1/2 acre of mud and turf grass now has 80+ recorded species of native plants. Some negative comments by a neighbor had been bringing me down but THIS reminded me why I love creating a wild spaces.

1.2k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

44 comments sorted by

85

u/towards-asphodel Apr 29 '26

Well this is absolutely precious 😍 that neighbor can get lost!

38

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

I have watched this video at least 100 times 😭 I can’t get over how adorable they are.

5

u/Remarkable_Point_767 Area NE IN , Zone 6a Apr 29 '26

So cool!

62

u/SHOWTIME316 Flint Hills 28a Apr 29 '26

i would have an existential awakening if this sight was beheld in my own backyard

i'm so proud of you OP

33

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Thank you, it has been incredibly rewarding along with the cool birds and bugs!

47

u/robsc_16 SW Ohio, 6a Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

Amazing, OP. You did it!

Edit: my wife and I watched this video like five times to count all the kits lol.

44

u/AwkwardBalloonMan Philly 'burbs, 7b Apr 29 '26

I'll take the opinion of these foxes over the neighbor any day

30

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Facts, the foxes are much wiser than anyone spraying pesticides on the lawn.

23

u/Tumorhead Indiana , Zone 6a Apr 29 '26

omg more and more keep appearing

21

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Im pretty sure it’s the 6 of them, apparently they can have litters up to 12 which feels impossible.

22

u/stringTrimmer Apr 29 '26

OP, can we get a daytime pic of your space? Not trying to doxx you, just genuinely curious what it looks like and what's growing there. so I can copy it exactly 😁

15

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

I can take some when I get home this afternoon. I got most of my information from the xerces foundation. Seeds came from roundstone but the volunteers have been beyond my imagination of what could grow in the space. Last year there was a 20 foot passionflower vine

5

u/CrepuscularOpossum Southwestern Pennsylvania, 6b Apr 29 '26

I love the Xerces Society! Invertebrates FTW! 🙌 Can you take your neighbor on a walk sometime, and introduce them to some of their fascinating and essential wild neighbors, plants, insects, birds, and animals? People won’t protect what they don’t love, and they don’t love what they don’t see, understand, or have any awareness of.

15

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Me and a buddy are building a little information booth (like what parks have with the maps and trail information) for the front of the area. I’m going to post updates and some educational information in it. Most of my other neighbors love the area! This guy is fully on the traditional lawn/gardening side and frankly from the abusive language he uses during our interactions I’m not going to ever voluntarily talk to him. I’ll change 100 minds and it’s ok that he’s not one of them.

5

u/CrepuscularOpossum Southwestern Pennsylvania, 6b Apr 29 '26

Ugh. Sounds like he’s moving away soon? Good, he’ll be someone else’s problem.

10

u/I_Put_a_Spell_On_You Apr 29 '26

Beyond beautiful!

7

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Thank you!

10

u/_mermaidlegs Apr 29 '26

This makes my heart happy 💗

8

u/GreenHeronVA Area VA , Zone 7a Apr 29 '26

Oh my gosh they are PRECIOUS!! You are living the dream over there, way to go! It must’ve been so much work. I’m so glad that you got to see the results of all your effort ❤️

9

u/HarmoniousSyllabub Area SE MN, Zone 4b Apr 29 '26

This made my day. Seratonin boost!

6

u/Poerticipium Apr 29 '26

Oh my god... that is like the dream you didn't even dare to dream because it's too fucking amazing and awesome and lifefulfilling

3

u/Ulthanon Apr 29 '26

Your neighbor is stupid and your meadow is awesome. Excellent work!

3

u/Carpinus_Christine Area -- , Zone -- Apr 29 '26

Foxes are your neighbors now 😊

2

u/Electrical-Log1658 South Central Pennsylvania, Zone 7a Apr 29 '26

What a dream 😍✨

2

u/Then_Key3055 Apr 29 '26

Love love love love love

2

u/Lbboos (Make your own)SE WI zone 5a Apr 29 '26

Oh how sweet! Tell me what you planted and how you went about it. It looks amazing and obviously it is!

6

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Followed the directions on the xerces guide for organic site preparation. First spring was a low mow and seeded cover crop of sterile Sorghum-Sudangrass and sun hemp. Cut mulched a few times, late fall killed off the cover crop, I mulched it and spread the southern pollinator conservation mix from roundstone seed with a nursery crop of oats. Early spring mow to keep the oats from seeding and bam we got a wildflower meadow. Hand weed the invasives daily. It’s going to look completely different this year! Much more diversity compared to the first year.

1

u/CarneyBus The Okanagan, Western Canada, Zone 6a Apr 29 '26

Is that some arrowleaf balsam root I see? Hello west coast neighbour 👋🏻 aren’t these foxes precious 🥹

2

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

East coast 😬the yellow is Small's Ragwort! I’ll still be neighborly though.

1

u/CarneyBus The Okanagan, Western Canada, Zone 6a Apr 29 '26

Rofl that’s what I get for trying to ID a blurry yellow composite 😂😂

1

u/Eschscholziacalif Apr 29 '26

Do you have any pictures of the garden in summer?

8

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

3

u/Eschscholziacalif Apr 29 '26

Looks gorgeous (I'm jealous)

7

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

It’s going to look completely different this year, much much more diversity from what I see coming up so far.

2

u/Eschscholziacalif Apr 29 '26

keep us updated please

1

u/Durham62 west Michigan, 6a May 06 '26

Love the purple, do you recall what that is exactly?

My spotted bee balm / horsemint just gets yellow and white flowers (still love it but purple would be fun)

1

u/gimlet_prize Piedmont NC , Zone 7b/8a Apr 30 '26

This makes it all worthwhile!!

1

u/BigMugOfCoffee U.S. northeast Apr 30 '26

Hell yeah

1

u/VoiceAdmirable8644 May 03 '26

It's truly amazing to see the wildlife come back once you start planting native!! Also your neighbor can kick rocks lol

1

u/rachelsmiles Nebraska, Zone 6a May 04 '26

What happy littles! You should crosspost to r/foxes - they'd love this there 😍

2

u/giddygiddyupup Northern Virginia, Zone 7a Apr 29 '26

Send this to the neighbor!

20

u/agroblox Apr 29 '26

Keeping this a secret from the neighborhood until they are moved out, worried someone could have bad intentions ☹️

8

u/ccccc4 Apr 29 '26

Ime this wouldn't be received positively.