I don't know about you, but I'm sure getting fed up with all the construction and land clearing going on around here. I know it's part of Crowded Planet Syndrome, and who am I to deny someone their new condo, parking spot, or strip mall, but at this point, I'm just grossed out. Does every inch of land have to be under the (opposable) thumbs of humans?
So I made a Wild Patch. In my yard. No destructor-landscaper can touch it. Kids are free to come and observe all the critters that live in it, but no marauding, land-ravaging adults unless they've convinced me they mean no harm. That's my rule and I'm sticking to it.
It only took a week or two after the lawn mowers, Round-Up sprayers, and weed-whackers were banned for the Wild Patch to emerge. It's only about 3m by 2m. Yet within those 6 square meters, there are over 20 insect species, five reptile species, and several kinds of arachnids, including a Red Rump Tarantula I've named Delilah. The flowers are pollinated by all sorts of bees and (beneficial) wasps. Dragonflies and butterflies come and go by the dozens. The troublesome fire ants are long gone, and most of the invasive plants have left, too. I grow several basils at one end, and they are growing abundantly, and very much pleasing the bees. I also grow a native mint called Horsemint, which makes a highly pungent and energizing tea.
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| A close-up of the Wild Patch. |
I've even got Tillies growing out there, though it is a little too sunny for some species. It's become my favorite place to meditate, and just feel peaceful about Gaia's powers of rejuvenation. Does anyone else out there have a wild patch in their garden?
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