Creating Suburban…

Creating Suburban Sanctuaries

Scientists have sounded the alarms that we:

Have 12 years to avert climate change catastrophe

Are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction

And are in the midst of an insect apocalypse

As a parent, this strikes fear in my heart for the world we are leaving

our children and future generations.

If they are to have any chance of a safe and healthy future, it is

imperative that we overcome our environmental myopia and act now. We

must drastically reduce our emissions and sequester all the carbon we

can in ecosystems. The most effective carbon storage occurs in

ecosystems that are healthy and biodiverse. Every native species has

evolved with a variety of interconnected relationships and functions and

they are all needed for the system to work as a whole.

A number of years ago, the British Beekeepers Association published a

statistic which indicated that; if they were to lose the bees, nearly

50% of the population would be required to hand pollinate. Consider the

cost of food if this were to occur and the large number of people who

would not be able to afford to feed their families.

Add to this that approximately 90% of the plants in the wild require

pollinators. Without pollination services, and insects in the food

chain, whole ecosystems will face collapse.

So, what needs to happen?

Our house is situated in a residential neighbourhood, filled with lawns

and non-native garden plants. On just over a 1/4 acre, we have

transformed it into a suburban sanctuary. We removed the front lawn and

replaced it it with a wildlife garden, organically grown and filled with

numerous native plants and ones which host butterflies. This cost next

to nothing as, other than adding pickup truck loads of organic compost,

the garden was primarily created through the addition of plants I had in

other gardens and sowing seeds I collected. In our organic wildlife

garden we have now documented 26 bird species, 35 butterfly species and

11 bumblebee species, some of which are rarely seen in the province of

Ontario. In addition to this, are the usual collection of urban

wildlife, rabbits, ground hogs, squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and

skunks, which all play their part in providing balance. For people who

do not garden with nature, it sounds like it would be a lot of work, but

it could not be further from the truth. Because I shun chemicals, my

plants are healthy and disease free. The natives crowd out the weeds. I

know when pest species, such as aphids or Japanese beetles arrive, as I

will see the birds, spiders and lady bugs move in and they take care of

my pests’ control for me.

In an effort to increase wildlife habitat, I garden with and educate the

children at some local schools, give away hundreds of seedlings and

seeds yearly and advocate for others to do the same. All over the

province, recognizing the dire threat of pollinator loss, there are

people doing the same. From the Mayor's Monarch Pledge to Bee Cities,

there are innumerable resources and people engaging, willing and able to

provide guidance, assistance and resources.

If you do not believe that people are ready to transform our ecosystems,

you have only to follow the Monarch butterfly migration movement.

Millions of people, across North America, have joined together to ensure

the 4 generations have the host plants, food and habitat needed to

complete their journey north and back to Mexico in the fall. It is a

movement that gives me hope for the future.

The last two summers, we had a male Monarch that chose our garden as his

territory. From morning until evening he was there; nectaring, resting

or soaring around the garden while he waited for females to visit the

milkweed. Being able to step outside your front door into a world of

butterflies, bees and birds is a wonder I wish every person on earth

could experience. The neighborhood children have free rein in our garden

and I will often look out the window and see them upside down looking

for caterpillar eggs or sitting on the bench observing the wildlife

activity.

Even with all the habitat we have created, I have still noted declines.

When the bee balm was in bloom, a mere 4 years ago, standing near it

was like being in the middle of a bumblebee super highway. The plants

were covered with a multitude of bees. The past three years, when the

bee balm is in bloom, I generally see 0-3 bumblebees on it at any one

time. Of the 11 bumblebee species I have recorded, there are a number

I have not seen in between 2 and 4 years. I have also not seen lace wings,

nor fire flies in a number of years and the only lady bugs I find are the

non-natives from Asia.

The average home owners generally only walk on their front lawn to mow,

seed, water and weed. Front lawns are wasted, high maintenance spaces

which could be transformed into thriving gardens which feed both people

and wildlife, akin to the victory gardens during the war.

We cannot talk about creating and improving habitat without discussing

the impacts of invasive plants displacing natives. Many plants such as

burning bush, Japanese barberry, miscanthus, periwinkle and goutweed are

not only still prominently used in both private and public gardens, they

are still being sold in garden centres. Public education and restriction

on the sale of invasive species is sorely needed.

We need to seriously address our pesticide use, which is impacting the

health of all species, including those upon which we rely to pollinate

our food crops. Chemical free soil has been demonstrated to store more

carbon, there are more species observed on organic farms and gardens,

and there are a multitude of studies linking pesticide use with a host

of human medical conditions including autism, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Summarily, as you consider approving ecosystem destruction to facilitate

business enterprises, I would ask you to reflect upon our children. If

you have ever seen their joyous looks of wonder when engaged with

nature; be it planting flowers for pollinators and searching for

caterpillar eggs, or observed those bright, shining, earnest little

faces as they plant trees or clean up shorelines, convinced they are

saving the planet, you would know in your heart that we must make their

beliefs a reality.