"Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?” - Julia Child

🌿 Ridgemeade Pasture Species

Last Updated October 2025

Our pastures host more than 70 species of grasses, legumes, and native forbs — a living community shaped by Lake Erie’s microclimate. We welcome the so-called weeds that feed our soil, pollinators, and sheep alike: chicory, clover, yarrow, plantain, wild carrot, and wild bergamot thrive here alongside orchardgrass, timothy, switchgrass, and bluegrass. This botanical diversity is the foundation of our terroir — flavor born of life in balance.

Perennial Grasses

  • Orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata)

  • Timothy (Phleum pratense)

  • Meadow Brome (Bromus biebersteinii)

  • Smooth Brome (Bromus inermis)

  • Bluegrass (Annual & Perennial)

  • Tall Fescue (endophyte-free)

  • Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

  • Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

  • Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

  • Eastern Gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides)

  • Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus virginicus)

  • Sweet Vernal Grass

  • Canary Grass (Reed Canary, select low-alkaloid strain)

  • Catttails

Legumes

  • White Clover (Trifolium repens)

  • Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

  • Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum)

  • Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

  • Alfalfa (Medicago sativa)

  • Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia)

  • Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa)

  • Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)

  • Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

Forbs / Broadleaf Herbs

  • Chicory (Cichorium intybus)

  • Plantain (Narrowleaf & Broadleaf)

  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

  • Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

  • Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare)

  • Small Burnet (Sanguisorba minor)

  • Selfheal / Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris)

  • Goldenrod (Solidego, various native species)

  • Asters (New England, Smooth Blue, Calico)

  • Milkweed (Common & Swamp)

  • Wild Bergamot / Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

  • St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum)

  • Sulphur Cinquefoil

  • Bedstraw (Galium mollugo)

  • Buttercup (native)

  • Wild Strawberry

  • Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

  • Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album)

  • Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)

  • Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum)

  • Smartweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum)

  • Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)

  • Ragweed

  • Jewlweed

  • Mullein

Woody Browse / Shrubs

  • Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

  • Alternate-Leaved Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

  • Willow species (Streamco, Pussy, Sandbar)

  • Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)

  • Sumac (Staghorn, Smooth)

  • Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

  • Wild Plum (Prunus americana)

  • Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

  • Crabapple / Wild Apple (Malus spp.)

  • Hickory (Shagbark)

  • Oak (White, Red)

  • Black Walnut

  • Butternut (Juglans cinerea)

  • Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)

  • Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) – marginal in your zone but worth trial

  • Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) – thriving in Erie’s river bottoms

  • Sumac

  • Sassafras

  • Multiflora Rose

  • Knot weed

  • Bedstraw

Functional Wild Allies

These aren’t forage plants per se, but play key ecological roles:

  • Common Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)

  • Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

  • Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)

  • Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

  • Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) (Wild Carrot)

  • Wild Basil (Clinopodium vulgare)

  • Wild Mint (various species)

  • Tea Berry (Gaultheria procumbens, also called Eastern Wintergreen)

Indicator Species

A few species that tell us about soil conditions:

  • Curly Dock (Rumex crispus) → compaction or low Ca:Mg ratio in limited areas; deep taproot aerates subsoil and mines minerals

  • Broadleaf Dock (Rumex obtusifolius) → high nitrogen accumulation; balances nutrient excess through deep nutrient cycling

  • Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) → prefers mineral-balanced, biologically active soils; indicator of mid-succession stability and good drainage

  • Milkweed (Common & Swamp – Asclepias syriaca, A. incarnata) → indicator of restored native balance and pollinator abundance; thrives in mineral-rich, undisturbed soils; host plant for monarchs and symbol of mature ecological succession

  • Burdock (Arctium minus / A. lappa) → past compaction or nitrogen excess; taproot breaks hardpan and stores minerals

  • Thistle (Bull or Pasture) → localized compaction or low calcium; loosens tight clay and supports early pollinators

  • Horsenettle (Solanum carolinense) → signals overgrazed patches and localized stress zones

  • Plantain & Dandelion → high calcium and balanced microbiome; natural de-compactors and nutrient accumulators

  • Chickweed → cool, fertile microclimate; indicates moisture retention and good humus content

  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) → strong mycorrhizal activity and balanced pH; dynamic accumulator and pollinator attractor

  • Chicory (Cichorium intybus) → deep rooting and robust mineral cycling; improves soil structure and forage quality