Welcome, and thanks for checking in.
Have you ever noticed how sometimes one key piece of information can challenge all of your previous notions?
This happened to me this past year.
For many years, I cultivated lush organic gardens, filled with pollinator plants, ornamental flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables. Early gardens were in Seattle and more recent ones are in the San Francisco Bay Area. I composed heavily, avoided pesticides and herbicides, and encouraged beneficial insects and wildlife. In the process, I believed I was doing all that I could to be a good steward of the earth through my garden.
But I had never realized that to native butterflies, moths and other insects, my garden was a desert. I offered them a drink from imported flowers, but no native plants on which to lay their eggs, feed their young, and ensure the future of their species.
That all changed when I heard a talk by Doug Tallamy titled "Nature's Best Hope." By the end of an hour, everything I believed about gardening had been turned on its head.
Suddenly I looked at my garden through the eyes of a butterfly that could only lay her eggs on a particular native plant. I also saw through the eye of a chickadee or one of the other 96% of terrestrial birds who require caterpillars in very large numbers to feed their young.
For the first time, I understood that the butterflies, birds, bees, and other endangered species need for us all to start gardening in an entirely new way, to ensure their survival and our own. And as I go, I'm finding that most people I talk to are animated by this idea as well. In case you're curious, I invite you to:
Check out Doug Tallamy's talk here: https://bit.ly/TallamyCNPS2020
Visit his website here: https://bit.ly/HomeGrownNationalPark
Delve into the details in his NY Times Bestseller: https://bit.ly/NaturesBestHope
All of this has led to a fascinating journey that is indeed filled with hope and opportunity. I'll share more about that in my next post. In the meantime, I hope you'll share your own experience with gardening to grow caterpillars - any tips for success?
Thanks for visiting!
