Conservation Starts At Home
It's easy to be outraged by pictures of smoke in the Amazon -- literally easy. We can shake our heads and talk about how short-sighted "those" people are without actually having to do a single thing differently in our own lives.
But what if conservation started at home - at each of our homes. What if we actively sought native plants to replace the plants we've grown up thinking were pretty but are as useful for our local life as wax fruit is to a hungry child.
When I moved into my home 8 years ago, I planted 3 Bradford pears before I knew that they were invasive (why can nurseries sell invasive species??). Last year, I cut them all down - replacing them with serviceberry and a native red cedar.
For years, I hauled daylilies with me from home to home - long my favorite plant. Now I am slowly digging up my massive clumps - replacing them with species Hyssop and Penstemon.
As I learn more, my tastes change. Now when I see the Amazon burning, I turn to my own yard and ask myself: what can I do today to make life better for some struggling life here? I find there is always something.
