Connections

In the Garden
Ralph Purkhiser, Purdue University Master Gardener    

     It’s all about the connections.  I got a lesson in connections in my garden this week.  As mentioned in my last column, the beautiful Arum dracunulus bloomed.  It was spectacular.  The bloom was about 18 inches long!  This unusual plant grows right outside the picture window in my living room, so I could see that flower as I sat and ate my breakfast by the window.  It is good to view the Arum through the window.  Getting that close on the outside would mean enduring an almost unbearable stench of rotting flesh.   However, that scent plays an important role.  It attracts flies, which pollinate the plant.  Also outside that picture window are several bird feeders and a birdbath with a solar fountain.  I do a lot of birdwatching through the window.  I get a lot of different birds that visit the feeders.  However, there are some birds that do not frequent the feeders.  Although I know they are present in the gardens, I do not get close-up views of them often.  On Saturday, while admiring the Arum through the window, a flycatcher swooped down right in front of me and scooped up a fly.  It was definitely the closest I have ever witnessed a flycatcher.
     That made me think about just how much my garden is connected to the animal kingdom.  Sandhill Gardens has been certified as a wildlife habitat, and many creatures call it home.  In recent days, I have seen all sorts of insects and birds.  I have seen squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks, a box turtle, salamanders, toads and frogs.  I watched a deer romp through the meadow and saw an opossum and a groundhog at the edge of the woods.  During the winter months, I put out some food for the wildlife, but in the summer, the garden feeds them and I try to understand that some garden damage is the price I pay to have this window on the natural world.
     It has been a great week for butterflies, also.  Monarchs have received a lot of press in recent years, and most people, by now, are aware that the monarchs have a connection to milkweeds.  It is the only plant on which the caterpillars of the monarchs feed, and for that reason, monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed.  However, other types of butterflies also have specific connections to plants.  The pipevine swallowtail relies on pipevine plants, and I delight when I see holes in this vine.  Various butterflies rely on trees, flowers, herbs, grasses and even weeds for their larval food sources.  Most adult butterflies feed on nectar from flowers, but some feed on animal dung, tree sap and other food sources.  
     I point out these things to demonstrate how connected our gardens are to everything around us.  Our actions make a difference.  If we decide to spray something to kill an insect, we may “save” a plant, but that poison becomes a part of the system.  Birds, amphibians and mammals that feed on the insects will ingest that poison and may die.  Pesticides may even cause health problems for humans, so their use should be very limited.  Variety in a garden will also ensure that more types of animals will be able to survive.
     I usually caution visitors to Sandhill Gardens that they will find plenty of weeds and insect damage.  It certainly is not a finely manicured landscape, but there is variety and it is alive.  There is also great natural beauty.   Come out this Saturday, June 3, for the annual Sandhill Gardens Plant Swap.  It will be from 10 AM until noon.  The address is 3061 N. County Road 810 W., West Baden Springs.  Bring plants, tools, garden décor or just about anything garden-related to trade with other gardeners.  I hope to see you then.