Excerpts from:
The Future of Natural Landscaping in America
by Neil Diboll
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The
four largest crops in America, not necessarily in order of total acreage, are:
Corn, soybeans, wheat, and lawn. That's a lot of lawn. And what does it require
to maintain all this lawn? Energy and water.
It
has been calculated that the average American lawn receives four times the
volume of chemical applications as an average farm field. And where do these
fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and the like come from? Most pesticides
are derived from petrochemicals. The production of nitrogen and phosphorus
fertilizers is extremely energy intensive. Add to that the trucking costs for
delivery around the country; and then there is the additional energy cost of
hauling away
the product of all the fertilizing - the lawn clippings to the landfill or
community compost pile.
And
of course, mowing all that lawn requires a lot of gasoline...
The inescapable fact is that we simply will not be able to
afford to maintain large expanses of lawn in the future, both economically and environmentally.
As
we come to terms with the new realities of limited oil, water, and other
resources, it is inevitable that ecologically sustainable
landscapes will replace the old, high- maintenance lawns of the past. Perhaps
our future status symbols will be based not
on how much we consume, but on how little impact we each have on our planet.
Instead of measuring success by how large a
house
we own, or how big a vehicle we drive, social status will be awarded based upon
how little of the Earth's bounty we consume. Maybe, just maybe, we will someday
be measured in terms of how much of the world's resources and natural beauty we
preserve for future generations. Now that's a horizon I can look forward to seeing.
These excerpts are from a speech Diboll gave at the 2008 Wild Ones Annual Meeting. Diboll is the founder of Prairie Nursery.
Read the whole speech...
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Greetings!
In keeping with the holiday season, our December meeting will combine our quarterly planning meeting with some socializing. If you're interested in getting involved in planning our activities, events, and projects, come join us (and feel free to bring some goodies to share!)
WHEN: Sunday December 27 at 2:00 pm
WHERE: RSVP for directions
HGCNY wishes all habitat gardeners everywhere a joyous holiday season!
Janet Allen,
President, Habitat Gardening in Central New York
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Gifts for the habitat gardener
Tie? Perfume? Besides being just too, too ordinary, many people are striving to reduce unnecessary consumption - especially "stuff" that just adds to our over-"stuffed" lifestyle.
But gifts that add to their enjoyment of their habitat gardens can truly delight your gift recipients.
Here are some suggestions:
 Items from the Wild Ones store: Everything's on sale! How about a beautiful Wild Ones metal yard sign for your recipient to display in their garden? (See photo at left.) Or a unique t-shirt sporting the phrase "Die Buckthorn Scum" or one that proclaims "Garlic mustard spreads" (complete with a garlic mustard spread recipe!) How about a beautiful and eye-catching "Yesterday's lawn...tomorrow's habitat" sweatshirt or denim shirt? (From personal experience I know this shirt garners a lot of positive comments!)These and many other Wild Ones items are available at the Wild Ones store - all on sale. And these items make great gifts for yourself, too!
A Wild Ones gift membership - Your recipient will enjoy getting the Wild Ones Journal all year and other benefits of membership. Join here.
 The Bird Watching Answer Book: Everything you need to know to enjoy birds in your backyard and beyond by Laura Erickson, bird expert and Cornell Lab of Ornithology science
editor. She answers such questions as "Why
is a cardinal attacking my windows?" "Will birds explode if they
eat rice thrown after a wedding?" "How can I keep squirrels out of
my bird feeders?" "Do birds play?" "Why don't birds fall off
branches as they sleep?" Available from Cornell's Sapsucker Woods store or elsewhere.
Bird seed and/or feeders - Watching birds at backyard feeders (in addition to our habitat plantings) is something people enjoy as they wait out the long winter months. But not all bird seed or feeders you'll find in "big box" stores are good for birds. Here are some tips from Cornell's Lab of Ornithology to help you make the right choices.
Donate to a worthy habitat cause in their honor! Many people truly don't want any more "stuff" at all, but they'd be pleased to know they've helped a cause they care about - especially at a time when many organizations are financially strapped. For example, you might donate to Wild Ones, MonarchWatch, or The Michoacan Reforestation Fund and La Cruz Habitat Protection Project, which works to
protect monarch butterfly habitat and improve the well-being of Mexican
communities. For bird lovers, a gift membership to Cornell's Lab of Ornithology would be appreciated. Bat Conservation International is the perfect choice for those enlightened individuals who appreciate bats. If you're looking for something closer to home and your recipient is interested in helping injured wildlife, Kindred Kingdoms is a worthy local organization that depends on donations.
And for something a little different... How about a bee house? You can either make one yourself, or buy one. (One source is Bee Diverse.)
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Climate change and gardening
As the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen begins, it's a good opportunity to think about the effects of climate change on plants - and vice versa.
Here's the Wild Ones page on climate change. Among other things, it notes that native plants need less water and require less maintenance that uses fossil fuel or chemicals.
Already, hardiness zones have shifted. Here's an animation that shows the changes from 1990 to 2006. (Of course, habitat gardeners focus on ecoregions, not hardiness zones, but it does show that changes have occurred...)
What to do? The National Wildlife Federation has published Gardener's Guide to Global Warming: Challenges and Solutions, which is available to download. (Note: It's a big file.) |
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Climate change and birds
We'll be hearing a lot in Copenhagen about the consequences of climate change. We may not hear much about its effects on birds, but it will be significant. Here's some info:
Some birds have already shifted their range or are likely to. For example, this map From the National Wildlife Federation shows the current and projected range of the American goldfinch.
Indeed, a lot of birds have already shifted their range. A study of migration habits from 1966 through 2005 found about
one-fourth of the species have moved farther south. But the number
moving northward - 177 species - was twice that. ( Read more about this Audubon study. This Audubon factsheet is also a good summary.) Global warming may disrupt birds' breeding patterns and reduce their numbers considerably because spring is arriving earlier. The problem is that breeding can become out of synch with the emergence of caterpillars, a principal food source for their nestlings. (Read more from the Scientific American magazine...) Here's a fact sheet from the American Bird Conservancy and the National Wildlife Federation about how global warming specifically affects our New York State birds. For example, it notes that many of the species projected to disappear from the state or whose ranges might shrink are those species that feed on insect pests. Sea level rise could also affect coast bird populations. For a more detailed look at global warming and birds, download the Birdwatcher's Guide to Global Warming. (This is a large file. If you have a slow internet connection, you may prefer downloading each section separately at the bottom of this page. Our habitat gardens will be increasingly important as birds face these challenges! |
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Houston we have pupation!
As mentioned in the last newsletter, three intrepid monarch caterpillars joined their fellow human space explorers on the space shuttle Atlantis on Nov. 18. All three have pupated. Unlike earthbound caterpillars, they are each hanging at a slightly different angle.
This photo was taken on Atlantis on Dec. 2. Two on on the top edge and one is at the right toward the bottom. The black stuff you see floating is the frass.
Scientists, with the help of their elementary and middle school student partners, will compare the development of the "astro-pillars" with those being raised in classrooms.
For more photos and to keep up with their ongoing development, go to the Monarchs in Space website. |
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