Meadow Mania!
By Carrie Conwell, April 2026
Across the Commonwealth, there is a shift taking place in both residential and public landscapes — the conversion of turf lawns to native meadows. While some people love the look of turf, it requires a lot of upkeep including frequent mowing, fertilizers, and watering, while providing little to no habitat and food for pollinators. In contrast, native meadows — made of grasses, wildflowers, and perennials — can provide a sustainable alternative that creates habitats saves money and helps manage stormwater. Lawn to meadow conversion benefits the wellbeing of our communities and our environment.
Across the state, restoring and maintaining both woodlands and meadows is also one of the key strategies for improving water quality and habitat. According to the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Pennsylvania has approximately 2 million acres of lawn. Here in Chester County, there is a strong desire to expand wildlife habitats, preserve natural resources, and improve water quality, and converting lawns to meadows is becoming more common.
In 2025, the Chester County Conservation District, in partnership with the Chester County Planning Commission, was awarded funding from DCNR to convert six municipally-owned public sites throughout the county from lawns to meadows. These sites total more than 20 acres. The Chester County Conservation District, Chester County Planning Commission and DCNR will help provide group training and educational materials to ensure that these projects will become established and successful. And while all of the municipalities have differing levels of experience with this type of project, connecting these municipalities and enabling them to share their knowledge and expertise with each other, will help the projects be more successful. These projects will inspire more landowners, including other municipalities, to implement more lawn to meadow projects.
Besides public property, many private property owners are seeing the benefits of converting acres of manicured lawns to managed meadows. As part of their Sustainable Homeowners' Association initiative, the Chester County Planning Commission recently produced a video series highlighting residential communities that undertook sustainable landscaping projects, including two highly successful local examples of converting lawns to meadows.
By embracing native plants and meadows, we can reduce our environmental impact while supporting wildlife and creating a landscape that is both functional and beautiful. DCNR's Lawn to Habitat Program is available to support those who are looking to convert lawns to meadows or woods, and DCNR can provide technical assistance, resources, financial assistance and educational resources to landowners and communities. For more information on converting lawns to meadows, we encourage you to check out these other resources: