BETH ROSENTHAL

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SUSTAINABLE OTSEGO

At my house, dinnertime discussions often begin with the idea of whether or not we could feed ourselves if our industrial food chain were to disappear.
Although I’ve been interested in native plants and have been growing them for many years, my interest was ratcheted up several notches after reading a new book by entomologist Douglas Tallamy, “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens.”
Tallamy writes about the “unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife” and how when native plants disappear, so do native insects. Without insects, humans would quickly vanish – they are our pollinators after all – so ensuring a habitat that sustains insects in turn sustains humans.
He continues, “In too many areas of our country there is no place left for wildlife but in the landscapes and gardens we ourselves create.”
He further says, “All plants are not created equal, particularly in the ability to support wildlife. Most of our native plant-eaters are not able to eat alien plants” – Tallamy considers all non-native plants “alien” – “and we are replacing native plants with alien species at an alarming rate.”
Who doesn’t love something showy? I know that the big, the bold and the beautiful easily seduce me. Who can resist a plant labeled “pest-resistant”? No fuss, no muss and instant gratification. But plants labeled pest-resistant can’t support native insects; they are unpalatable to them. Everytime we plant one, we reduce already limited food sources.
At the same time, the mail brings an announcement plant guru Lee Reich will be talking about native plants at Catskill Native Nursery.
It was somewhat serendipitous, because along with our discussions on whether we could feed ourselves, we’ve been talking about what kind of fruit people ate before apples and pears. What was here natively, in upstate New York before “alien” fruits were widely planted?
From Reich, we discovered a plethora of fruits and nuts that are native to North America, many which will grow well in our area. Familiar berries are blueberries and cranberries. Other edible berries include gooseberries, mulberries, currents and loganberries.
Many of these were popular before the transcontinental journey of foods changed the way we eat, but have since fallen out of favor. Joining the berry roster are persimmon, paw paw and native crabapples.
We brought home a persimmon tree and a hickory tree as well as viburnum prunifolium – yes, the viburnum fruit is edible. We also snagged sassafras, Kentucky coffeetree, hickory and pagoda dogwood, these for habitat rather than food.
We are building beds for berries and planting trees for the fruits and nuts they will bear in the years ahead. My perspective and definition of garden beauty is evolving. The idea of perfection in the home garden landscape is an out-dated one.
Our next road trip is planned for the end of June when we visit a native plant nursery in the Ithaca area. Those of us interested in sustainability often talk about secure food sources and eating locally. I think that planting and eating native foods is one way to promote that idea.

Beth writes from Roseboom.

Labels: Beth Rosenthal, Columns, Opinion, Sustainable Otsego