Finding solace in natural surroundings, and caring about wildlife even the urban creatures around grew stronger than ever while socially distancing. But, I haven’t read as much. On the days I have off, I have volunteered at a local park to plant off trail for pollinators and birds, to water the plants, and to try and keep dogs and people off of the seedlings and plants.
If you would like to help in a similar way Green Seattle Partnership is one way to go. It helps to know your native plants so you know which ones not to trample on or pull up. To become a Forest Steward you need to take a class, which happens during the Fall. I found 5-6 species of butterflies at this park this summer; this one is called Lorquin’s Admiral.
I photographed many different species of bees and wasps, and all photos were taken just with my iPhone camera. The saddest thing was finding the bumblebee and wasp nests that had been dug up by raccoons for their larvae. But the rest of this year I rejoiced in stumbling into many of the urban animals. The biggest surprise was the numbers of garter snakes and alligator lizards during the summer. I did see several mammals and frogs, but reptiles seem to be scarce these days. And there are many species of birds of course.
While looking for newer books on this subject of restoration and the feeling of solace I had on these journeys into the parks, I found this book: Nature’s Best Hope, which looks to have a nice overall picture of this topic, but the local biota don’t seem to be specialized in this book. I already know of Arthur Kruckeberg’s book, Gardening with Native Plants and had met him 2-3 times but is there a more recent book out? The newest one I found is The Pollinator Victory Garden and which is on order status. Get it while it’s fresh! Another resource for native restoration is King County’s native plant resources or Washington Native Plant Society’s Plant Seed and Source List.
I also saved seeds from the flowers from the park to plant. In order to help figure out what to plant for butterflies, the book I find the most helpful is, Life Histories of Cascadia Butterflies, which gives what kind of plants the caterpillars eat. And how to grow these seeds? I’ve scattered them in the past, but with not much luck. There is this website to help figure things out on Propagation protocols, but as my time is now very limited, I may just try scattering seeds again.
The biggest challenge during this past year was how to safely navigate the park. It was easier at the beginning of the pandemic; there were fewer people about. I was able to be off trail due to my being a volunteer. When more people came, it was a dance hopping to the side without stepping on flowers. Nowadays, I will unfortunately be spending much less time at the park.
Transportation issues have come up, and it is the dark sleeping time of the year. I will be most likely hacking away at the invasive species during my free time which usually means; Himalayan Blackberry, Scot’s Broom, Rosa Rugosa, and Sycamore Maple. All will outcompete our native species, which will mean the animals who rely on them will disappear too. Have there been any new books out on Pacific Northwest restoration topics that you’ve seen lately? Share them in the comments below!
~ Kris B.
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