Welcome Owen,
I look forward to your ideas on making meadows, turning lawn into areas that provide a sustainable area for insects and birds. My dilemma is that I have an invasive grass, that I am trying to get rid of , not using pesticides which I am against, so I put black plastic down for 9months , pulled it up and put down cardboard and covered it with mulch and hope to reclaim this area by planting blueberry bushes and a few fruit trees. Wish me luck!