One of the fascinating things about learning about an eco-system, is discovering how all the parts work together. The soil needs to contain nutrients. The plants need to be able to access these. Each plant has to figure out how best to multiply. Some send up new shoots, some use flowers. The flowers need pollinators, who in turn need nectar. The baby pollinators need to eat leaves, but only certain leaves. Birds eat caterpillars. Birds also distribute seeds. Birds need secluded places to build their nests, sometimes hiding in the branches of trees. The leaves fall when the trees no longer need them. They provide food for worms. Worms produce nutritious soil.
I was talking about this with Jon Strand a while ago, telling him that I was working on what they call “habitat restoration.” He listened and then said: It seems to me you’re attempting to re-create Eden.
Yes! Exactly! That’s why I do it.
– Margaret Bain
