A Case For Weeds

“A weed is but an unloved flower.” 
― Ella Wheeler Wilcox

For all of the time that I spend weeding,

I am beginning to have a change of heart on the subject.

And while I do love a nicely manicured farm and flower gardens,

I also see the value in allowing the land to be wild.

There was a day when I would have rushed to remove this weed

growing next to Hope's house.

But then... it's not harming anything by being there, and is actually providing a little 

extra shade.

But more importantly... and why I am beginning to re-think our landscaping practices...

is that these green leafy plants are able to take carbon out of our atmosphere

and send it into the earth where it is no longer acting as a greenhouse gas.

Carbon Sequestration... a fancy way of saying that plants are able to remove

CO2 from our atmosphere and trap it beneath the soil.

All we need do is change the way we think about weeds.

Allowing more areas to become naturalized not only helps to reduce our carbon footprint;

but those areas provide essential habitat for insects, such as butterflies and bees, and birds.

Years ago, our Field of Dreams (a large meadow in the center of our woodlands)

grew grains... planted by our neighboring dairy farmer.

We requested the field be allowed to return to wild.

Over the next few years, indigenous vegetation returned and the field became 

naturalized.

We mow a few pathways through the field, but the rest is wild.

It has become habitat for a great number of butterflies and songbirds.

It's home to a rather large flock of indigo buntings...

and Common Yellowthroat (a warbler)....

(male)

(female)

This field has become a favorite place of mine,

with every trip there being a bird-watching adventure.

And though every plant that grows here is considered a weed,

it is none-the-less a most beautiful spot.

After all, Mother Nature knows what she's doing...

she's the ultimate master-gardener!

I think I will continue to weed my vegetable garden, however...

“If you see a dandelion as a weed, you’ll spray it. If you see it as a flower, you’ll draw it close, turn it this way and that, and become lost in the colossal burst of slender golden petals that spew sunshine into the darkest of souls. And so, how many things have we sprayed that could have illuminated our souls if we would have let them be more than what we let them be?” 
― Craig D. Lounsbrough