A field study in metroWest, MA
Turning turf grass back into native wildflower communities.
Entoscapes is a small, long-running experiment: returning unused lawn to the native plants, insects, and animals it was taken from — using low-maintenance protocols anyone can adopt.
The premise
In fall 2023, Maura Healey signed an executive order setting biodiversity goals for the Commonwealth — where over 400 species are currently endangered.
Return unused land
Most turf is pointless — nobody picnics or plays on the short grass around municipal and commercial properties.
Make it low maintenance
Landowners install turf when they don't want a garden. Native alternatives only work if they're easier, not harder.
Prove it in the soil
Three to five small proof-of-concept plots, five years each, documented as they figure themselves out.
The plots
Proof of concepts
Site 01 · Acton, Massachusetts
Marian Road
A resident of Acton donated a 17′ × 20′ area of his garden to my experiment. I was warned that without turning the soil multiple times I would end up with a weedy mess. I was impatient.
Site 02 · Acton, Massachusetts
School Street
A developer bought a property down the street that had been derelict for the eight years I’d lived on River Street. He clear-cut the hillside in March 2024 and accepted my offer to manage it — more land than I had planned to take on.
Photos coming soon
Site 03 · Acton, Massachusetts
Pond View Drive
A new proof-of-concept plot on Pond View Drive — converting another patch of lawn into a low-maintenance native wildflower community.