Healing Ground

After the heartbreaking death of her partner, Wendy Johnson sets out to restore the 100-acre property left to her, following a lifelong dream to return the land to its natural habitat.

Restoration begins with upheaval: Removing invasive plants with their stubborn roots, razorlike thorns, and toxic sap; carefully burning old growth so that new seeds can grow. The weather is unpredictable. Tractors and chainsaws break down. Government cost sharing programs are threatened. Wendy must meet each obstacle with grit and tenacity to provide critical habitat for the insects, bats, birds, and other species who depend on native plants to survive.

Season by season, as native seeds sewn by hand take root and the prairie grows, so does Wendy—from rookie landowner to expert restorationist—as she navigates the process, overcomes obstacles, heals from her loss, and finds community.