The Seed

People in general seem to harbor a natural fear toward many of the creatures inhabiting our yards and the land- scapes around us. Some of this fear is certainly understand- able, after all, a bee or wasp sting hurts! Others of these creatures are just creepy—spiders, mantids, ants, snakes, bats. If we stop and think about it, however, we’ll soon realize that we really don’t have much to fear and in fact there is much to be gained if we can find a way to better appreciate these creatures. The beautiful goldenrod invites crab spiders and soldier beetles who love to dine on aphids and other small insects. A milkweed will feed the larvae of the beautiful monarch (and many other species) while also scenting the garden with its sweet fragrance. Planting a penstemon will attract bumblebees, coneflowers will attract goldfinches, columbine will bring hummingbirds, a service- berry will feed many birds and an oak tree provides habitat for literally hundreds of species. These are all creatures to be celebrated, not feared

The Seed

When it comes to managing our planted landscapes, we humans seem to prefer working against Mother Nature. Where she would provide a diverse mix of flora and fauna, we prefer trying to carpet the ground with a monoculture of lawn and then sprinkle a few colorful (and often foreign) trees, shrubs and other plants here and there as accents. We like to think that we’re in control, that we’ve created some- thing static and beautiful, but in reality we are regularly doing battle against natural processes and in many ways against our own best interests. We’ve come to accept near-constant mowing and trimming, regular use of pesticides to kill unintended plants and insects, lots of irrigation to keep things green, leaf blowing and sidewalk edging for even more tidiness and the regular removal of grass clippings, leaves and other plant residue to the landfill—necessitating a regular use of fertilizers to maintain soil fertility

The Seed

People in general seem to harbor a natural fear toward many of the creatures inhabiting our yards and the land- scapes around us. Some of this fear is certainly understand- able, after all, a bee or wasp sting hurts! Others of these creatures are just creepy—spiders, mantids, ants, snakes, bats. If we stop and think about it, however, we’ll soon realize that we really don’t have much to fear and in fact there is much to be gained if we can find a way to better appreciate these creatures. The beautiful goldenrod invites crab spiders and soldier beetles who love to dine on aphids and other small insects. A milkweed will feed the larvae of the beautiful monarch (and many other species) while also scenting the garden with its sweet fragrance. Planting a penstemon will attract bumblebees, coneflowers will attract goldfinches, columbine will bring hummingbirds, a service- berry will feed many birds and an oak tree provides habitat for literally hundreds of species. These are all creatures to be celebrated, not feared

The Seed

When it comes to managing our planted landscapes, we humans seem to prefer working against Mother Nature. Where she would provide a diverse mix of flora and fauna, we prefer trying to carpet the ground with a monoculture of lawn and then sprinkle a few colorful (and often foreign) trees, shrubs and other plants here and there as accents. We like to think that we’re in control, that we’ve created some- thing static and beautiful, but in reality we are regularly doing battle against natural processes and in many ways against our own best interests. We’ve come to accept near-constant mowing and trimming, regular use of pesticides to kill unintended plants and insects, lots of irrigation to keep things green, leaf blowing and sidewalk edging for even more tidiness and the regular removal of grass clippings, leaves and other plant residue to the landfill—necessitating a regular use of fertilizers to maintain soil fertility