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Woodland Garden Oasis

  • Designed for Every Property Type Project Basics

Service type

Ecological Legacy Design - Constructed Seasonal Wetland & Native Forest Restoration

  • Designed for Every Property Type Project Summary

Project Summary

A lifeless, scraggly lawn in sandy Bellport soil isn’t usually thought of as ecological gold — but the property sat on land that once supported Atlantic White Cedar swamp, a globally rare habitat type that defined this part of Long Island and has since been almost entirely lost. The client wanted to bring some of that legacy back.

Spadefoot reshaped the grading and imported clay to construct an artificial seasonal wetland, recreating the conditions Atlantic White Cedar needs to establish. Native wetland species were layered around the cedar to build a true forest community, supporting amphibian breeding, dragonflies, birds, and pollinators almost from the moment the planting went in.

What surprised the client most was the speed. Within a single season, volunteer wetland natives — cattails and others — established on their own, and amphibians arrived to breed. Ongoing mowing was eliminated, and no chemical inputs have ever been used. The result is a quiet ecological engine running behind the scenes of the property: a small, deliberate piece of Long Island’s vanished wetland past, alive again.

  • The Challenge What They Called Us For

The challenge

Site condition when you arrived
A lifeless, scraggly patch of lawn in Bellport’s sandy soils — turf that struggled to establish in the first place. The land sat on what was historically Atlantic White Cedar swamp habitat, a globally rare ecological community that once dominated Long Island and has been almost entirely lost.
Reclaim the lost ecological legacy of the site – restore wetland habitat that had been wiped from this part of Long Island.
Sandy Bellport soils where conventional lawn struggles. The property sits on the historical footprint of a vanished Atlantic White Cedar swamp ecosystem.
  • What We Did

Services & approach

First step on site
Reshaped grading and imported clay to construct an artificial seasonal wetland – recreating a piece of the Atlantic White Cedar swamp ecosystem that used to define this part of Long Island.
Atlantic White Cedar as the anchor species — centerpiece of a globally rare Long Island swamp forest community that supports birds, amphibians, dragonflies, and pollinators. Layered with a native wetland palette. Volunteer wetland natives, including cattails, returned on their own once the habitat was in place.
Constructed seasonal wetland (clay-lined to hold water seasonally) and native forest community plantings layered around the wetland.
  • Natural Purification Design Elements To Highlight

Visual & functional highlights

Key visual features worth showcasing
The constructed seasonal wetland and the establishing Atlantic White Cedar canopy – a deliberate piece of vanished Long Island ecology, restored.
Atlantic White Cedar — signature species of a globally rare swamp forest community that once defined Long Island and is now almost gone.
The constructed seasonal wetland itself, which functions as both habitat and visual centerpiece.
How quickly the fauna returned — amphibians began using the wetland for breeding, dragonflies arrived almost immediately, and volunteer wetland natives like cattails colonized on their own.
  • Streetscape Design Results & Outcomes

What changed

What changed
The lifeless lawn became a functioning seasonal wetland supporting amphibian breeding, dragonflies, birds, and insects. The system is designed to last many years with proper maintenance and, like all nature-based restorations, will continue strengthening as plantings mature.
Bare, struggling lawn replaced with established native wetland habitat.
Amphibians using the wetland for breeding, dragonflies, returning bird and insect activity, and volunteer colonization by wetland natives like cattails.
Ongoing mowing eliminated. No chemical inputs were ever used.

John Anderson

Spadefoot completely transformed our backyard. They removed all the invasive plants and replaced them with beautiful native species.

  • Where This Applies Photos & Media

Project Photos & Media
  • Designed for Every Property Type Notes

Internal notes