“Unfortunately, because we have been so slow to recognize the unprecedented importance of suburban gardens for the preservation of wildlife, gardners across the nation have been caught off guard. We have proceeeded with garden design as we always have, with no knowledge of the new role our gardens play, and , alas, it shows. All too often the first step in the suburbanization of an area is to bulldoze the plant assemblages native to our neighborhoods and then to replace them with large manicured lawns.”

“It is increasingly clear that much of our wildlife will not be able to survive unless food, shelter, and nest sites can be found in suburban habitats”

“We have become accustomed to meeting our needs without compromise. If we need space to live, we take it – all of it – and if that means filling in a pollywog pond or cutting down a woodlot, then so be it. We feel completely justified in sending those plants and animals that depend on those habitats off to make due someplace else…partly because, until recently, there always has been somewhere else for nature to thrive” (No Place to Hide, 23). 

Our ways of replacing nature or what is natural is clearly problematic due to the issues of biodiversity and ecosystem structure discussed by Tallamy. This passage reminded me of an experience on an ASB trip to Maryville, TN. We spent a day volunteering in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The task at hand was to help push the local beaver population out of the park’s border where a resident owned property. The dams created by the beavers were causing flooding in the resident’s yard and home. The park rangers had been working to destroy the dams and even insert a pipe at the bottom of the dam to allow the water to flow out and prevent flooding for the beaver’s habitat. The beavers where able to quickly rebuild there dam and even clogged the pipes that were draining water. The beaver family remained in the area and refused to leave their den behind. I was amazed by the intelligence of the beavers and naturally I was rooting for the beavers to prevail. Unfortunately, the property owner would not accept any payment from the park to leave his wetland property. The owner wanted the beavers out. No compromise.

I also thought the phrase “accustomed to meeting our needs” was an interesting choice on Tallamy’s part. Our society does not function on the basis of need. We have a culture of manifest destiny and desire. We are not Living Like Weasels, living lives based in necessity. Our relationship with nature is marked my greed and exploitation. This reminds me of a paper my EVST 400 class read – Joshua Yates’ “Abundance on Trial: The Cultural Significance of ‘Sustainability.'” This article outlined the history of the term sustainability and the culture prior to this term that focussed on “thriving” and living out of necessity. an idea of progress that is based on nature’s abundance. The concept of progress developed as a shifting response to the question of “what does it mean and take to thrive?” (2012, p. 16). Yates chronicles the change in response to this question over time – from the Puritanical focus on spiritual and community wealth, to the individualistic Victorian approach, to the emergence of mass production and consumption (p. 16 – 17). With the emergence of large-scale consumption came the Malthusian concept of scarcity and the Keynesian counter-argument of abundance (2012, p. 17). With the environmental movements of the 1970s came the influence of the term “sustainability” to question our methods of pursuing “progress” (2012, p. 19). What is really necessary for humans to thrive?

Yates, J. J. (2012). Abundance on Trial: The Cultural Significance of “Sustainability.” The

Hedgehog Review, Summer 2012.

“All too often the first step of suburbanization of an area is to bulldoze the plant assemblages native to our neighborhoods and then to replace them with large manicured lawns bordered by a relatively few species of popular ornamentals from other continents” (Role of Suburban Garden, 21). 

This quote paired with the strikingly eerie picture of a suburban lawn on pg. 20, made me think of how much environmental history and progress was wiped away with the creation of lawns. Why does such pristinely manicured lawn seem so appealing compared to an environment rich in native biodiversity? Perhaps it is a matter of security and community to control your property and see your neighbors. We wipe out the necessary “food, shelter, and nest sites” for species’ survival (21) to create an environment that has been deemed more appealing for us (but not for the insects, birds, and other fauna, according to Tallamy). I think of my father’s anguish with the trees on our front lawn in the burbs of NJ. He is infuriated by the amount of pollen they drop in the spring, like stringy yellow confetti. My mother and I have had to talk him out of removing the tree several times. My dad is a lover of parks and the outdoors, but he is also very particular about his lawn. Suburbia appears to be no place for nature.

The creation of artificial turf added a whole new element to sports when it was first introduced as teams adapted to this new surface. It made balls roll farther and gave a nasty burn if you slid on it. However, it also was much easier to maintain.

The biggest thing I always noticed when playing on it was the heat difference. It was always ten degrees hotter on the turf field as opposed to a grass field. While it was nice to play on the turf surface, it was not worth the added heat in summer.

The recent readings brought up many more points where turf loses out to regular grass which I did not even consider.

“Once, Manhattan was 27 square miles of porous ground interlaced with living roots that siphoned the 47.2 inches of average annual rainfall up trees and into meadow grasses, which drank their fill and exhaled the rest back into the atmosphere. Whatever the roots didn’t take settled into the island’s water table. In places, it surfaced in lakes and marshes, with the excess draining off to the ocean via those 40
streams which now lie trapped beneath concrete and asphalt.” (City Without Us, 28)

This passage, as well as the “No Place to Hide” chapter illustrate the negative effects human creations have and how they may be more convenient, but not as practical as natural landscape. For instance, a turf field does not redistribute and filter water as well as a grass field would. Despite many chemicals used in manicured fields, there is still life that lives above and below it. Replacing a grass field with a turf field completely removes any life in the whole area of the field. Many lack the ability to step back and consider all the different facets of life that human intervention has.

“We can no longer hope to coexist with other animals if we hope to wage war on their homes and food supplies…. Gardening with natives is no longer just a peripheral option favored by vegetarians and erstwhile hippies. It is an important part of a paradigm shift in our shaky relationship with the planet that sustains us – one that mainstream gardeners can no longer afford to ignore” (14).

“It is increasingly clear, as we shall see, that much of our wildlife will not be able to survive unless food, shelter, and nest sites can be found in suburban habitats…. the degree to which the plants in our gardens succeed in this regard will determine the diversity and numbers of wildlife that can survive in managed landscapes. And because it is we who decide what plants will grow in our gardens, the responsibility for our nation’s biodiversity lies largely with us” (21).

“But now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs of the gardener. Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife. It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to “make a difference.” In this case, the “difference” will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them” (Tallamy, 9).

The phrase “make a difference” made this passage stand out to me during the reading because of the upcoming Make a Difference Day community service event. As part of my MOSAIC Staff position, I also collaborate with a group to lead campus wide events, which includes planning Make a Difference Day. It has been a very exciting experience to see it all come together, as the event is this weekend (unfortunately I cannot actually be there to see all the hard work come to fruition because it conflicts with the hiking trip). This passage acknowledges the power that a few people, such as gardeners, can have to make a difference, which relates to the event where volunteers will work at numerous gardens throughout the area.

“Native plants are well adapted to their particular ecological niche and so are often far less difficult to grow than species from other altitudes, latitudes, and habitats. After all, these plants evolved here and were growing just fine long before we laid our heavy hands on the landscape” (Tallamy, 10).

This passage stood out because its discussion of native plants reminded me of the efforts that went into the pollinator garden to ensure its sustainable nature. Emily (the other garden coordinator) and I researched plants that were both sustainable in terms of supporting pollinators and encouraging native growth. The garden can be used as an example to other schools or groups that it is very much possible to create a sustainable, native garden.

“Eventually, the first minute toads hopped out of the water and into the weeds, tiny replicas of their parents, whose mating song1had learned to imitate the previous spring. As I watched the little toads jump about, a bulldozer crested nearby piles of dirt, and in an act that has been replicated aroundthe nation millions of times since,proceeded to bury the young toads and all of the other living treasures within the pond. I might have been buried too, if I hadn’t given up trying to rescue the toads. I saved about 10 that day, but for nothing: the pond was gone, leaving nowhere for the toads to breed. Within two years, a toad was a rare sight near my house; soon they were completely gone, along with the garter snakes, whose main prey they had been, and other members of the food web supported by the life in that pond.” (22)

This passage made me feel pretty guilty. This past summer, I spent nearly every weekend turning the woods of my family’s lake house into a lawn. Yes, I was turning a native environment into a lawn… the exact topic we have been discussing for about a week. For my entire life, our “backyard” has been a swampy mess of underbrush that blocks our view of the lake. In my admittedly hypocritical opinion, the view of the overgrown woods took away from the “natural” view of the lake. Thus, my father and I went about rebuilding the backyard into a level forest, free of swamp and underbrush.

Ironically, I had the same toad protection process throughout the reconstruction project. While I was the one operating the excavator, I made a point to move as many of the hundreds of frogs that I could before filling in a certain hole. While we were careful to redirect the flow of water in order to maintain a natural habitat, my father and I probably had no idea what we were doing. We succeeded in improving our aesthetic ideals with the space, but it likely came at a cost of the natural plant and animal life. Looking back on it, I feel pretty bad about it. While I still prefer the view as it is now, did I have the right to alter other species’ natural space?

One last point of interest is that we went out of our way to protect a fox den that we know has been occupied for years. I have to question myself as to why we valued the fox over the toads and the plants?

“When extinction adjusts the number of species to the land area that remains for the plants, mammals, reptiles, birds and invertibrates of North American (something that will happen within the lifetimes of most of us), we will have lost 95 percent of he species that greeted the Pilgrims” (31).

This quote, towards the end Tallamy’s piece on suburban gardening is intended to wake up he reader and make them realize what has happened to this country over the past 400 years. He goes on to say, as most conservationists will, that we need to change the way we live to not only save ourselves but other species as well. He says that through use of a “reconciliation ecology” we could meet the needs of the millions of species on the planet by simply using native plants in our landscaping.

I thought this piece offered a great reality check for us in that every interaction we have with nature is impactful on a given ecosystem. The fact that a nonnative species being introduced can disturb a whole ecosystem and result in the extinction of any given species does not really cross our mind when we bring it in. This reminded me of the Japanese Knotweed problem we have had on the East Coast.

If we are simply more thoughtful and responsible for leaving things the way we found it in our landscaping we as a planet will be better off in the long run.

I was scrolling around Youtube and the video below popped up in my feed.

I found it pretty interesting because I am an avid distance runner and there is huge differences between road running and trail running. The differences are deeper than just the terrain you cross, but also the amount of pain your body goes through, the visual experience, and the fact that when your trail running the head to head competition aspect is almost lost. Personally, while trail running I definitely have felt the openness and being one with the movement of nature that the narrator talks about in the beginning of the short film. On the other hand I have also felt in a 18 mile trail run race when nature does not agree with you; I literally tripped hard every 6 miles and by the end was covered in bruises and dirt, but oddly enough I was in pain. After the second fall, I just came to the conclusion nature did not want me to run as fast as my body wanted to, so I slowed down and took in the sights because of that decision had a more complete race experience. My greatest memories of the race was not finishing, but the the mountain lake I ran around and the scenic overpass I got to take in after climbing. Furthermore, if you hate running, I would give trail running a try is a completely different and almost enlightening experience.

“Maybe not actually incalculable, but it doesn’t rain any less now than before the city was built. Once, Manhattan was 27 square miles of porous ground interlaced with living roots that siphoned the 47.2 inches of average annual rainfall up trees and into meadow grasses, which drank their fill and exhaled the rest back into the atmosphere. Whatever the roots didn’t take settled into the island’s water table. In places, it surfaced in lakes and marshes, with the excess draining off to the ocean via those 40 streams which now lie trapped beneath concrete and asphalt” (The City Without Us).

I really enjoy the description and imagery contained in this passage. Nevertheless, I do not entirely agree with it especially because it compares the environment now to what it was without civilization. The first line in particular is something that does not to take into account climate change and the perception that humanity has altered the climate for the indefinite future. The longevity of humanity’s actions will last a lot longer then what people realize and I think its worth thinking about when reading “The City Without Us”.

“The mice which haunted my house were not the common ones, which are said to have been introduced into the country, but a wild native kind (Mus leucopus) not found in the village” (Thoreau 216).

Currently, I am taking Conservation Biology and in many case studies, the greatest problem facing an ecosystem is an invasive species. If you do not know what an invasive species is, it is a species of organism that is non-native to a given area and has the potential to cause harm to either an ecosystem, or towards humans. That definition is very anthropocentric in its definition especially based on the fact its with “or towards humans”, but in this instance its safe to say Thoreau has been in some way harmed by this mouse, or invasive species. Additionally, I find it very interesting to know that biological problems such as invasive species were well documented so long ago because it recently only has reached the mainstream media like in the cases of pythons in the everglades, or snakeheads inhabiting waters throughout the US. 

There is a pervasive myth in our society that we need certain things to qualify as a civilized member of that society. I don’t necessarily mean fancy cars or big houses, I mean more basic things. In the effort to decrease my output of waste and my regular expenditures, I decided to try to minimize the amount of these “necessities” that I actually need. So, I haven’t used shampoo or conditioner since July 1st.

Daily shampooing didn’t become a societal norm until the 1970’s. Before that, many people didn’t wash their hair more than once a week. This trend increased profits for hair care companies, advertisers for their products, plastic manufacturers who package shampoo and conditioner, and the chemical companies who provide the raw materials. Shampoo doesn’t just clean your hair, it strips your hair of the natural oils that your scalp produces. The glands that secrete that oil are triggered to secrete even more when it senses the oil it has already produced has been removed. This process has caused, for most people, a dependency on shampoo and conditioner because their scalp is overproducing oil which never makes it to the body of one’s hair, rendering it dry and needing of conditioner. That is why most people spend money every few weeks or so to buy these products that they really don’t need.

What I do to keep my hair clean is called the No Poo method. Instead of lathering my hair with shampoo every day, I use a solution of a tablespoon of baking soda to a cup of water every other day to get the dirt out of my hair. Instead of conditioner, I use a table spoon of apple cider vinegar to a cup of water solution every other day. This allows the natural oils to travel down the length of my hair while preventing the glands in my scalp from over-secreting those oils. I also make the solution myself, reusing the squeeze bottle containers over and over again. My expenses are about $2 for the box of baking soda which I’ve only used about a third of since July and Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar which is about $3 for a 16oz bottle of which I’ve used less than one third. The water cost is negligible. Just to summarize the benefits: my hair is a soft as it has ever been, I spend a fraction of what I used to on hair care, and I’ve minimized my waste output incredibly.

I’ve told so many people about No Poo (www.nopoomethod.com) and have yet to hear that anyone else is trying it. That truly displays to me how pervasive habit and societal norms can be. Much environmental activism takes place publicly, loudly, and aggressively. However, making a simple change that has so many other benefits also counts as environmental activism! Why don’t more people do this? After looking at the pictures of the birds full of plastic, don’t you want to start getting creative and selective about your plastic use? It also never hurts to spend a little less.

P.S. Skeptical? Come touch my hair.