Hello again to the Greatest Garden Gang ever, and to all Global Citizens. Together, we are going to save Mother Earth. It’s our job, it’s crucial, it will definitely be fun, easy, so inspiring, and there’s no time to waste! We have to start now because so many lives depend on our efforts, including Humans. We can do this if we act together as ONE, starting now! And let me repeat, this will not be difficult and will be so rewarding! I can’t wait until we start seeing our results.
We are back today with our second post and more discussion on the topic of healing our planet one garden at a time.
Most people agree that we need to adopt a land ethic that respects and protects ALL members and ALL aspects of Nature in harmony with the needs of Humans.
Fact; Earth has no more land than it did 600,000 years ago. I have been in complete denial of this truth, never questioning or even wondering about the limits of space here on Mother Earth. It’s not like we have another planet to move to. A great quote from a well-known conservationist and author, Edward O. Wilson, says “Knowledge generates interest, interest generates compassion, and compassion generates action”. I so very much agree with this quote because this is what happened to me and many others. Like I mentioned in my first post, I have developed an enormous passion for all of us working together in our yards, parks, and gardens by planting only native plants, and then removing the “alien” plants that have majorly disturbed our ecosystems. And to do this, to save our great friends and Life on Earth from extinction, we all need this deep passion. So, I am again calling on every person, anyone who has the ability to plant plants, to learn about the importance of your gardens, develop enormous gigantic compassion for saving all earthlings from unthinkable devastation, by making our gardens compatible with all life on Mother Earth. Our entire planet depends on us! Wilson tirelessly promoted biological diversity, or biodiversity, of every single life form. Continuation of Life is not a guarantee, and as I am learning, much of the reason has to do with the growing loss of so many different insects, like bees, and other small animals, like birds, that are needed to keep our gardens growing in a healthy and productive way.
Let us start by learning about the bee crisis. I’m sure you’ve heard about the declining population of all different species of bees that we need for pollination, the method of fertilizing our flowers and plants. I’ve heard about this problem for some time, so I began reading and studying this topic, and have found that we have a broken relationship with Mother Earth. During the last couple of centuries we started importing flowers and other plants for our gardens from different countries all around the world. This was done in order to add more beauty and diversity to our surroundings, which is what they did, and we took much pride in these additions. We love to show off our magnificent gorgeous gardens. But, we had no idea that introducing “non-native”, also known as “alien”, plants to our gardens would cause any problems, let alone major ecological disruptions, but that is exactly what and how this situation occurred, mostly because we did this over and over and over, competing for the most beautiful landscapes. And it still continues. Bees and so many other wildlife species are in major decline and at risk of extinction because they have always depended on the compatibility with native plants for their survival. As scientists discovered, with extensive research and numerous studies, the non-native plants that are not compatible with our native bees, have aggressively taken over so many of our gardens.
This is now a wake up call from the denial we’ve lived in for too long. I know we can wake up because I have. And you will too when you have the facts. The non-native ornamental plants have caused the destruction of our native plants along with a large number of pollinating bees, the bees that we need for our food, water, and clothing. AND, not to mention, the air we breathe, as plants absorb carbon and release oxygen!
I am so optimistic now because we know what the problem is and we know what to do to fix it!
There are other serious problems concerning our beautiful bees that are also contributing to their decline in a major way, namely pesticides. We will definitely get into the details of this huge problem in later blog posts. For now we need to concentrate on promoting biodiversity in our landscapes. This is something we can start right away.
I recently read a great quote by Mattie Stepanek, which says, “Unity is strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” He was such an inspiration to anyone who knew him or read anything he had to say. He lived only until the age of 13 with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, but he left behind a wonderful and inspiring legacy. He was a poet, author and a prophet who inspired millions, including Oprah. He knew what his purpose in life was and spread his compassion to so many, and from his wheelchair. If you ever feel the need for inspiration, just check him out. That’s all we need to get started on a most important lifetime collaboration of teamwork!
Please send in your zip code so we can give you a list of all the native plants that will strengthen your ecosystem. And please send your thoughts and recommendations. Together we can do this.
We will be back soon with the next post so stay tuned and thank you all!