In summer, Sacred Space
surrounded, hidden from busy street,
by forest.
Window views of green swaying branches,
bring calm, peace to us.
In Fall, Winter, understory Beeches,
a skirt for taller, bare trees.
seen from driveway
curving through brown warmth
of clinging leaves, marcescence.
In Spring, new buds push out
these hangers on of Beech,
blend with other shades of green.
Mary Ellen Myers, 12-14-14
In a first installment of a three-year project, volunteers will soon plant over 100 native woody trees and shrubs. Continue reading
At Central UCC, the Garden Team led by Ron Smith has done much to create pollinator habitats full of native plants where insects thrive. Ron’s explanation of the need for native plants follows:
Pollination is the critical event in a plant’s life. 80 – 90% of all flowering plants require pollinator assistance for reproduction.
Pollinators include bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, bats and birds .
However, bees do the majority of the work. Bumblebees are generalists, visiting many plant species. They are after both pollen and nectar for food. Most other native bees are specialists, as are most other pollinators – they only visit one or a few species of native plants.
Our pollinators depend on native plants. Certain native plants and certain pollinators developed intricate symbiotic relationships over thousands of years. The reduction or loss of either partner affects the survival of both.
We measure an ecosystem’s health by the degree of biodiversity. Obviously, pollinators are enormously important for maintaining diverse and healthy ecosystems.
Pollinators are also an intricate part of the food web: For instance, almost all North American birds other than seabirds — 96 percent — feed their young with insects.
There is a general assumption that pollination is a free and abundantly available ecological service. Not true. Pollinators are in significant decline. The Monarch Butterfly’s population is down over 90% in the last two decades. Feral honeybee populations have disappeared. Habitat destruction and pesticide use are major reasons for the decline.
On Easter Monday, Mary Ellen Myers invited us to walk in her woods and see the Spring wildflowers. It was a sacred time with good friends and delicate native wildflowers and plants everywhere on our walk. Here is her poem about that day:
Central UCC Earth Notes 