Fifty people turned out on a dark January evening to listen to retired middle school teacher Pat Collins speak on the importance of native plants as food sources in the food web. With humans occupying so much of the earth’s surface and modifying it for their own purposes, there is less and less room for our fellow creatures to flourish. It is impossible to make up for lost habitat by establishing parks and wildlife refuges. Our own yards, and city boulevards, highway right of ways and roadside edges must become cafeterias for the insects and other small life forms that are an essential part of the food web.
In Part 2 of the evening’s meeting, Pat engaged attendees in planting 12 different species of native prairie plants on trays with soil starter. Since prairie seed requires a cold period before sprouting, attendees carried their trays home and placed them outside in a cold place to rest until spring, when they will (hopefully) germinate and be planted in a garden. Next summer we anticipate gardens with exotic-named plants: Hoary vervain, golden alexander, anise hyssop and rattlesnake master; as well as purple cornflower, blazing star, orange milkweed, swamp milkweed and black-eyed susan.
The following photos provided by Sue Leaf.
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