Fellowfield Discovery Park

Happy Earth Day!

Games that Grow Good Futures!
Play has always been an important way for new awareness and new patterns to take root. We’re designing the game Success of the Commons to practice the kinds of thinking and decision-making we need more of in the world, especially when it comes to food systems and shared resources. In real life, we don’t get unlimited do-overs. The stakes are too high. We need places where we can practice together to create the systems that will sustain us.

Support for Fellowfield makes this kind of playful learning
possible, right here, with real people, in real time.

If you’ve been considering a gift, now is the time!
DONATE TODAY at www.Fellowfielddiscoverypark.org/participate

A new young neighbor has taken up residence at the Park! While out with the goats for their evening browse, we often spot this little Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) walking leisurely through the woods, leaving little five fingered tracks in the snow, or quietly perched in a nearby tree.

A note from our director, Katy Adams:

I loved this talk from Lyla June and had to share it. It's grounded, hopeful, and such a powerful reminder that people have been caring for the land in brilliant ways for thousands of years.

June doesn't frame humans as a problem to manage, but as meaningful members of Earth's community, capable of co-creating abundant, resilient landscapes through intentional relationships with the land and with each other.

Her message reflects the vision that guides our work at Fellowfield. This video is a meaningful doorway into that vision.

Watch here:

3000-year-old solutions to modern problems | Lyla June | TEDxKC In this profoundly hopeful talk, Diné musician, scholar, and cultural historian Lyla June outlines a series of timeless human success stories focusing on Nat...

The Bonfire That Wouldn't Light teaches us about the responsibility and new possibility that comes with awareness. Read more here: https://wix.to/TrnCBxq

The Bonfire That Wouldn't Light: The possibility the comes from awareness to garden with nature The possibility that comes from awareness

Once abandoned and cloaked by buckthorn and weeds, this trailer is now being repurposed as a raised garden bed. See how much the area has changed over the years!

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Send us a message at: https://www.fellowfielddiscoverypark.org/participate

Have you met our underground ambassador? 🐾 Check out this blog post about what makes the groundhog special to Fellowfield Discovery Park and its mission.

https://wix.to/MMgiwKh

Underground Ambassador: Why the groundhog inspires me to think about our culture Most mornings when I arrive at the park, our groundhog is already awake. Their main burrow entrance sits right at the top of the driveway, tucked out of sight amid a patch of tall ragweed that glows bright yellow this time of year. Sometimes the groundhog is standing upright in a nearby lawn of clov...

Play structures for the goats! Ruby, Skye, and Aspen love hanging out on repurposed wooden planks.

🐐

Last week we shared a close-up of a mystery bloom at Fellowfield. Did you guess it?

It’s Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)! This native wildflower (first slide) isn’t as common as its look-alike neighbor, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), but it plays a much healthier role in our wetlands.

You’ve probably seen purple loosestrife (second slide)—those magenta flower spikes can be seen filling wet ditches this time of year. Brought by European colonists in the 1800s, it has spread widely across Michigan and is now a legally restricted invasive, meaning it can’t be sold, planted, or shared. Dense strands crowd out native plants, reduce food and shelter for birds and amphibians, and even clog the flow of water.

By contrast, Great Blue Lobelia supports ecosystem balance and diversity. Bumblebees land on its lower petals, triggering a nifty “trap-door” mechanism that opens the flower and dusts their backs with pollen. Broad leaves arching out from upright stems create cool cover for amphibians and insects. In autumn, sparrows and goldfinches eat its seeds. Shallow, fiberous roots help stabilize soft soils, prevent erosion, and filter water, keeping wetlands healthier for everyone.

Native peoples have used its roots and leaves for respiratory remedies, headaches, and even syphilis, hence its species name siphilitica.

Want to see more of this beauty? Plant it in a rain garden, pond edge, or low spot with moist soil and full to partial sun. It is easy to grow from seed and will self-seed gently over time. Cut seed stalks in fall and share them with neighbors to spread the joy! By planting and sharing, we can help Great Blue Lobelia return as a familiar summer bloom and a key member of healthy wetlands.