Al Kyte's Life Take-Aways

 

Our choices sometimes bring unexpected benefits.  The benefit I foresaw in choosing to landscape with California native plants was to be surrounded with plants I have enjoyed out in nature.  What I did not expect was how much those plants would mean to me when I could no longer climb mountains nor scramble down into trout streams, nor that they would grow into such a special area of refuge for animals, discovery for children, or peace for busy adults.

That came to me one day as I was sitting quietly in our garden.  Turning my head in response to a faint sound, I saw two quail emerge from cover, walk to a sand castle my grandchildren had built, jump up onto the castle walls, look around, then drop inside to survey the scene as if to say, “What do we have here?”  My time of peace, the quails’ curiosity, and the children’s recent fun had all contributed to that special moment.

I recalled that the sandy mound was also used to bury “hidden treasure”, fulfill certain landscaping needs, and serve as an egg-laying area for lizards.  I wondered how many of my other landscape features also benefitted all three groups—animals, children and adults.

Our water feature consists of a small stream with falls, plunge pools, riffles and a pond.  Children delight in water play activities, birds bathe, animals come to drink, and fish and turtles swim in the pond.  Both the sight and sound of the water add to an adult’s sense of tranquility.

The nearby areas of open woodland include rocky ground, low plants, shrubs, and small trees that offer various feeding, perching and nesting options for a wide variety of birds.  Children use the trails there for running, chasing, and playing catch.  And whether strolling the pathways or sitting quietly, adults welcome the open views between the small trees to taller ones beyond.

Elsewhere in the yard is an area dominated by shrubs.  The tall manzanitas there give children a “jungle experience” where they can walk, crawl or hide under an overhead canopy.  With some pruning help, they are able to climb through several bushes without their feet touching the ground in a native plant “jungle gym”.  Together we pick the berries and prepare a manzanita cider as people have done for hundreds of years.  Adults appreciate the manzanita’s year-around beauty of fresh-green foliage and gnarled reddish bark.   Also birds and small mammals enjoy being able to feed leisurely under the overhead protection on seeds, berries and insects.

Stacked wood, rock outcroppings, and artifacts all add interest between the plants for birds and animals to perch and hunt.  The wood provides fuel for burning and a wall behind which to conceal extra gravel and other gardening materials that children dip into for their imaginative play.  Children also jump from rock to rock and use the outcroppings as a backdrop for action-figure or doll play.  Adults appreciate the textural contrast that rocks provide to nearby plants.  Artifacts such as an old pump, a wagon wheel, and mining and ranch items give children props for role playing and offer adults occasions to reflect on the way things were done in the past.

Almost every day I see animals, children or adults enjoying this natural-looking landscape, and I no longer need to travel to feel I am getting back to nature.  Although this garden has been likened to a park, it is merely the size of a typical suburban lot.  Adding to, rather than removing, natural habitat offers wonderful, important benefits to life around me, such as providing much needed help to butterflies and other pollinators in their current uphill battle for survival.