Saving the Earth

...in your own backyard

Humankind is spreading across the land, building houses, shopping centers, office buildings and industrial site over most of the earth at an alarming rate. Change is inevitable, but it must not all be bad. We are intelligent creatures, can learn from our past mistakes and successes, and discover new things to help us live in harmony with nature.

Over the past twenty years, anthropologists and archeologists studying the Americas have learned that when the first European settlers arrived in North America things were not as we once thought they were. The vast forests of what was to become the eastern United States were actually the overgrown remains of extensive forest orchards tended by native Americans before influenza and other illnesses brought by the first explorers, decimated their populations. These orchards were filled with nut and fruit trees to sustain the growing populations of the indiginous peoples living up and down eastern America. Current estimates put the native population of North America, just before the arrival of Columbus in the West Indies, at a substantial twenty-five million; hardly the scattered bands of primitive roving Indians, as was once believed!

Perhaps we can learn something from this past. Unless stopped by some great catastrophic plague or event such as geologic upheaval, or asteroid impact, humans will continue to procreate and fill the earth. There is nothing left to do but adapt our settlement methods and patterns for the benefit of the rest of creation. Suburban sprawl need not be a negative thing if it incorporates naturalizing every backyard, and creating greenways, allowing native wild plants and trees to thrive alongside our cultivated gardens and ornamental plantings, as well as establishing and protecting large conservation zones in every county and state.

Natural diversity helps ensure the health of planet earth. Whether one believes that life on earth evolved over billions of years, or that God created the natural world, with all of its intricate workings, in just six days, the resulting conclusion must invariably be the same, that each and all of the wonderfully made individual components, have purpose and meaning, and must not be driven to extinction by the careless, self-centered actions of humankind. It would be an insult to the Universe.

Much damage has already been done. In the last 30 years alone, hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and small mammals worldwide, have become extinct.

Unless prudent action is taken immediately, by the end of this century, it is likely that half of the world's species of plants and animals will be extinct. The choice is ours... Ironically, saving the earth is easy. We really don't have to do anything at all. Nature has the power to heal itself, if we'll let it. There was a popular bumper sticker a few years ago that said it all, "Let the earth live". Do you have a large lawn? Give yourself a break and next time you mow, just do half of it. Be creative and design a landscape plan that will allow wildflowers and plants space to grow around the perimeter of your property. You'll enjoy the colors as one by one, Queen Anne's Lace, Brown Eyed Susan, Purple Aster, Oxeye Daisy, Chicory, and even Goldenrod, find their way back to your lot. Soon, butterflies, bees and birds that rely on wild plants for food will also come to visit. The birds may even bring gifts of berry seeds, already packaged with a little fertilizer, to grow in your wild space. After awhile, if so inclined, you could be drinking coffee made from chicory root, sipping goldenrod tea, eating wild greens, or making jam, all from plants in your own backyard.

Viburnum alnifolium, better known as Hobblebush, grows in cool, moist woods, and along roadsides, near streams. The berries are blue-black when ripe, and make a good raisin-like nibble, but are better cooked, or made into jelly or jam.

Warning! ALWAYS consult a reliable fieldguide before eating any wild plant, berry, or mushroom.

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