[Pollinator] Integrating Pollinator and Human Landscapes

[Kathy Keatley Garvey]

Well said, Sam!
We are lawnless in Vacaville, Calif. and have been since 1974. We have a
pollinator garden filled with scores of floral resources. Our frequent
visitors include honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, digger bees,
sunflower bees, sweat bees, syrphids, dragonflies, monarchs, Gulf Frits,
Western tiger swallowtails, buckeyes, painted ladies and others too
numerous to mention. Lawn? No, thank you. (And we wish everyone would plant
a pollinator garden instead of a lawn)

On Fri, Sep 16, 2016 at 9:27 AM, Droege, Sam <sdroege at usgs.gov> wrote:

> All
>
> This week I spoke to a group of Landscape Architects.  Good discussions
> and I pointed out that I thought one of our biggest societal problems was
> the perceived conflict between creating landscapes friendly to pollinators
> (and, btw, to all of nature) and the traditionally acceptable tended
> landscapes that are mowed regularly.
>
> It turns out that this has been thought of before and likely quite deeply
> by landscape architects.  Here is a fabulous article from the 90's:
>
>  http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/1995/nc_1995_nassauer_001.pdf
> <http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/1995/nc_1995_nassauer_001.pdf>
>
> The key point here is that people really don't necessarily NOT want
> natural landscapes what they want is a landscape that is clearly cared
> for.  A naturalized landscape is often preferred, but it must be neat and
> fit into the norms of the culture.  Of great importance is the presences of
> human structures (sidewalks, fences, houses, buildings etc.) that are
> clearly demarcated by neatly mown areas, are in good shape and show that
> the owner of the property takes care of their property and has done all
> these things on purpose.
>
> I think it would be very useful to build into the advice we provide about
> plantings some elements that present shows of care and intention of those
> environments, else we risk alienating the very audiences we want to
> convert.
>
> I also think it might be useful to have more landscape architects on board
> with what we do.
>
> sam
>
>   From a Country Overlooked
>
>
> There are no creatures you cannot love.
>
> A frog calling at God
> From the moon-filled ditch
> As you stand on the country road in the June night.
> The sound is enough to make the stars weep
> With happiness.
> In the morning the landscape green
> Is lifted off the ground by the scent of grass.
> The day is carried across its hours
> Without any effort by the shining insects
> That are living their secret lives.
> The space between the prairie horizons
> Makes us ache with its beauty.
> Cottonwood leaves click in an ancient tongue
> To the farthest cold dark in the universe.
> The cottonwood also talks to you
> Of breeze and speckled sunlight.
> You are at home in these
> great empty places
> along with red-wing blackbirds and sloughs.
> You are comfortable in this spot
> so full of grace and being
> that it sparkles like jewels
> spilled on water.
>
>
>            - Tom Hennen
>
> --
> *Bees are Not Optional*
>
> *Apes sunt et non liberum*
>
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>
>


-- 
Kathy Keatley Garvey
UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology
kegarvey at ucdavis.edu
Or
kathykeatleygarvey at gmail.com
Website: http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/
Department News:  http://ucanr.edu/blogs/entomology/
Bug Squad blog: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/bugsquad/index.cfm
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