I hope you didn’t get
seriously frightened On Halloween.  Here
are a few seriously scary tricks to spook you:

Erosion!  This insidious evil claws away precious soil
and fouls streams and rivers.  Native
plants drive a silver stake through the heart of erosion, stabilizing slippery
slopes with their roots.  Sword Fern’s
fibrous roots are especially protective of soil, and its evergreen fronds break
the force of a hard rainfall, allowing water to gently soak in.

Extinction!  Manufactured by the Frankensteinian ill of
blind progress, extinction overtakes poor creatures displaced by human
activity.  In our area, we have nearly
extirpated the Western Pond Turtle and the Western Toad.  Development has destroyed their
habitats.  Native plants are probably the
best way to re-create homes for sensitive species like Red-legged Frogs.  Native plants help filter runoff water,
keeping streams and rivers pure for salmon and freshwater mussels.  Ultimately, the species you save may be your
own.

Existential
angst!  This psychological Jack-the-Ripper tears at
our souls and hinders our ability to enjoy life.  Counter it with ample treats from
nature.  Give yourself some time with –
what else? – native plants!  The other
day at Tadpole Haven, a customer found a pocket wilderness in one pot: a Red
Huckleberry was growing with Small-Flowered Wood Rush and mosses.  All she had to do was put her face up to the
little scene to immediately get a soothing dose of nature.  Soothe your soul.  Fight the darkness with the help of
nature-spaces.

Climate
Change!  This monster stalks the earth, creeping up
slowly, chuckling at our casual, inertia-bound attempts to wake ourselves into
action.  All over the globe, loss of
forest cover and “biomass” has fed the monster.
One solution to corralling the beast:
Plant and protect native trees!
Carbon-absorbing, water-holding forests.
Even enlarging patchy back-yard suburban and urban forests contributes.

Climate change used to be
less well understood.  Back in the 70s or
80s, we feared “Greenhouse Warming”.  But
last Saturday, that term had a positive meaning:  We celebrated a Greenhouse-warming for Tadpole Haven’s newly completed
greenhouse!  Shirley made brownies.  That’s scary.

Filed under: Uncategorized |