Trish’s Woodland Garden in Bird Park

In Memory of our friend, Trish Beckjord

Conservancy Board Member Trish Beckjord, who died in 2023, was deeply committed to incorporating native plants into all landscapes - from back-yard gardens to extensive woodlands.

Passionate about ecological restoration, Trish joined Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy soon after moving to the community following her retirement. She was a registered landscape architect and worked in design, but also in managing a native plant nursery, Midwest Groundcovers, in Illinois, and with the Conservation Foundation. She was a member of the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society.

As a Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy board member, Trish provided expertise that helped the organization initiate its annual native plant sale in 2022, and always added inspiration and enthusiasm to the Conservancy’s initiatives in Mt. Lebanon’s three natural parks.

When she became sick with her final illness, she generously named the Conservancy as a recipient of memorial donations, which the group received with gratitude following her death. The board decided to invest those donations into rehabilitating the woodland at a highly visible location along a main entrance pathway at Bird Park, which we are calling “Trish’s Woodland Garden.”

Park Improvement work days

The Conservancy chose to create Trish’s Woodland Garden along the main path from the Beadling Road parking lot to the soccer field. It’s likely that nearly all visitors to the park will see this location and witness its transformation.

The area, in the “elbow” of the trail as it curves toward the field, was chock full of invasive trees, shrubs and groundcovers, including tree of heaven, Japanese honeysuckle and garlic mustard. Volunteers removed the shrubs and groundcovers while workers from the municipality’s department of public works addressed the tree of heaven problem, which takes several seasons. In addition, DPW will replace the deteriorating fence.

Large groups of volunteers, many recruited by student board members Ezra Moon and Violet Slagel, replanted the area with native trees, shrubs, and perennial plants, including flowers, vines, ferns and sedges.

Native Plant Selections

Trees include: Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus); Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata); Redbud (Cercis canadensis); Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea); Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia); Kentucky Coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus); Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera); Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana); Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana); Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum); and Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus). Shrubs include: Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora); Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana); Winterberry (Ilex verticillata); and Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).

A grant from Pennsylvania native Plant society (PNPS)

The Conservancy was honored, grateful and really excited to win a $500 grant from PNPS specifically for this project. This funding helped pay for the perennials, including: Ostrich Fern, Wild Petunia, Golden Ragwort, Roundleaf Ragwort, Clustered Mountain Mint, False Sunflower, Pennsylvania Sedge and Brown-eyed Sunflower.

“Before” conditions

Not gonna lie: The site was a big mess. Can’t wait for the new stuff to grow in!