Gardens are where nature meets nurture. When we give the Wild a place to thrive that is protected and nourished, the Wild begins to transform into something new. Call it domestication or cultivation, but once the Wild is fed it transforms into a Refuge. As any gardener can assure you, you’re unlikely to find a more reliable friend than nature itself. In the Garden you find peace between Man and The Wild, thriving like an alliance between two kingdoms. Both sides will gain just as much as they give. After all, what gardener continues to grow the plant that produces no fruit, and what plant would grow where no gardener tends it?
Of course, we know that this alliance between kingdoms is much older and stranger than we can see in the small gardens we keep. Each side brings a wealth of resources from a realm the other can hardly understand. Hands cultivate the land with generations of experience and laborious resources, and from the interplay of flowers, pollinators, and an ecological dance as old as time there is an overflow of abundance. Any disruptions beyond the garden walls cause a ripple effect that crashes right into the peaceful garden refuge.
This time of year, Autumn in Texas, the Monarch Butterfly of the Animal Kingdom makes her great migration. It’s time for the Monarch to see if the alliance between Man and The Wild has been honored or if the truce may need some renegotiating. As the representative of both Animal and Plant Kingdoms, her request is simple – safe passage on her journey across thousands of miles. With barren lawns of Bermuda grass, scant native plants to provide nectar, and milkweed mowed in favor of monotony – the jury is out on Man. Have we upheld our side of this age-old alliance?
Now is our opportunity to anticipate the arrival of the Monarch and adorn our gardens with her favorite flowers and safe havens for rest. It may seem strange that one small butterfly would cause such a stir, but the Monarch is always a symbol of a greater governance at work, one that we’ve never had to live without. When the image of the Monarch starts to fade, so do her many benefits that we may not even realize before they’re gone. More than just a beautiful creature, the Monarch butterfly represents harmony in the cycles of nature. Monarchs are an indicator species that clearly marks the health of our environment. While they don’t single-handedly pollinate the foods we eat, or carry the weight of our community on their wings, they alert us to the jeopardy of these processes. The symbiotic relationship between Man and The Wild continues to thrive only if it is just that – symbiotic: mutually beneficial to both groups. Luckily, there is beauty and joy in honoring our relationship with nature by welcoming her back into our everyday lives. Just as we can tame The Wild into Refuge, just imagine the gracious creatures Man can become when we let ourselves be shaped by nature in return.
Click here for opportunities to welcome Monarchs and support pollinators and Artisan jewelry maker, Gracy, of @artbuttercup highlight.
