Thursday, July 31, 2008



There was an interesting article in the Washington Post recently about the Gardens of Versailles, and how the climate changes are taking their toll on the plant life there, some of it dating to the French Revolution.

My favorite point in this article is how they stopped using insecticides to kill off the bugs, instead letting the bugs grow fat and juicy. Guess what happened? The birds came back and ate the bugs! Isn't that amazing!? Nature has a way of taking care of itself, if us pesky humans would just let it be and stop screwing it up.

My garden has its fair share of buggy critters. I don't use anything to deter that, no matter what they nibble on. Sure I have aphids on a few things, but I also have lady bugs who love a good juicy aphid. I've got caterpillers galore, and yes, they turn a canna leaf into swiss cheese, but then they turn into a lovely butterfly. There are plenty of birds during the day, and in the evening the bats put on a show having their way with the mosquitos. If I sprayed insecticides, none of that would happen. It's worth the trade.

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