There Were No Fences

I firmly believe that there is an almost-infinite power in beauty. Though we all might not measure it the same way, we are all touched equally by it. Each of us, if asked, could name things that are beautiful to us. Though our individual lists might differ a bit, what we find to be beautiful affects us in the same way and it has the power to change the way we look at life. In most of my writings, I add the line: “surround yourself with beauty” because I believe in the power it installs in us. In this tumultuous time, the trails of wild areas remain open to us. Though sanctioned programs have largely been curtailed and are likely not to open soon, we can still walk the trails and soak in the restorative power that nature provides. We need to surround ourselves with beauty now more than ever. Though the temperatures have been brutal over the past few weeks, many trails are shaded or partly so. I encourage you to take a walk in the early morning or late afternoon. Bring...

There is a frequently quoted Chinese proverb that states that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the next best time is now. There is a lot of truth to that. We who garden for the rest of life do so understanding that the fruits of our labor will increase in future years and that what we do now is only a beginning.  I may well never sit under the shade of my developing deciduous woodland, but I can see it in my mind's eye. I envision what it will look like; the basswood arching up and over the rest of my understory trees and shrubs, the various hawthorns, silverbells, serviceberries, bumelias, azaleas and viburnums awash in spring flowers before their fruit form beneath the canopy, the songbirds darting in and out of this collection of plants finding food and nesting cover. I envision it though I may well not ever see it during my lifetime.  In addition to the age I now find myself to be, this is a rental home and I am not really in control of this home and its l...

Checkered skipper on Sida ulmifolia Polydamas swallowtail on a nonnative pipevine Common buckeye on a false foxglove - Agalinus spp. Cassius blue Snout butterfly Eastern black swallowtail As my landscape continues to develop, I'm ever-increasing my ability to provide for butterflies. Since my early childhood, I've been enthralled by them and that love has only grown as I've aged. I've done my best to design my new landscape to accommodate as many species as possible, but it is still a work in progress. As our focus often seems to be on the decline of monarchs, we sometimes lose focus that monarchs are really only a miner's canary - their decline signals a decline in all invertebrates worldwide and all of them need our attention. Pollinators need much more than nectar and pollen. In a world gone mad with pesticides, they need a safe place away from them. Here in Florida, where the landscape focus seems directed at "interesting...