Adding Structure

A living landscape is more than the individual plants. I believe it must also include the other elements one would find in nature - things like decaying wood with all of its lichens, mosses, and fungi.  That is why I am always on the look out for interesting pieces of wood when I am out in nature exploring and if that place is not a protected area, I may bring home something like the piece above that I have added to my new wildflower garden.
Adding structure is much more than adding something aesthetic. It can serve a number of important functions. For one, it provides a platform for many of the plants and non-plants, like lichens, that are too-often overlooked in a landscape. When I ponder the value of landscape diversity, I always take into account the "little ones" - because increasing their diversity as well seems important to me.

I've had this piece of old heart-of-pine now for nearly a decade. In this time, it has continued to support a diverse flora of mosses and lichens. It has not rotted away like a different type of wood may have done, but I suspect there are a few fungi making a home of it and that is fine.

My favorite piece is this ancient cypress log that a friend of mine and I "rescued" from a development project 15 years ago when I worked full time as an environmental consultant. I found this log laying at the edge of a wetland that was permitted to be filled by the developer and I simply couldn't let this log be destroyed. I have once again placed it at the edge of my newly created wetland to mark the boundary of my pond liner and the yard and its contact with the wet soil will help to keep the mosses, ferns, and lichens healthy.  Over the years, these small plants and lichens have increased in number. The resurrection fern (Pleopeltis michauxiana) now covers most of the upper top of the log. Mosses which I have never tried to identify have colonized all the nooks and crevices. This log is alive in a way that no planting near it can match.
Structure also provides shelter for the small animals that are integral to  a living landscape. They provide a place for lizards and small amphibians to hide and they create habitat for invertebrates that can form part of the diet of songbirds. Natural woodlands contain "dead" wood  (the term is an oxymoron really) and adding it to a living landscape can be an important element.
Use woody pieces carefully, however. Dead wood will have termites - or attract them. Termites in dead wood, away from your home, is not a bad thing when they remain in the dead wood. You can ensure that it is a good thing by not placing such pieces in close proximity to your home or other wooden buildings. Choose wood that is resistant to decay also. New wood will get eaten up by termites and fungi in a short amount of time. Look for the heartwood - the inner part of a tree that has been heavily lignified and is now relatively resistant to decay and pests. Heartwood is what is left after the outer bark and new wood have decayed away.
My landscape is slowly taking shape. It will be a long process from urban desert to wildlife oasis, but I am slowly witnessing small changes as I spend time in it. Thanks for following my progress.

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