On June 1, 11 volunteers descended on the East Asheville Library to fill the three concrete planter boxes out front with over 400 native plant plugs — and despite this summer's drought, the meadow is establishing beautifully, thanks to a dedicated crew who've kept up watering duty ever since.

This project, dubbed Earthworms and Bookworms Unite, is a collaboration between HCCA and the Friends of the East Asheville Library. All plants are natives, grown for us by Wildbud Natives, and planted in a meadow-style design meant to attract native pollinators right in the heart of the neighborhood.

What used to be bare concrete boxes are now on their way to becoming a thriving, buzzing patch of habitat—proof that even small spaces can do real ecological work when a community shows up for them.