A Marriage of Conservatism and Environmentalism
When Dave and I were getting to know each other, I found out that he was an “environmentalist,” or at least he tended to consider nature and to think about the environment. I grew up with a father who is a strong Constitutional Conservative and my beliefs are along the same lines. So when Dave told me he was an environmentalist, I thought he was most likely liberal in his political views. I’d heard so many stories about liberals who supported business-crushing policies and used government power to steal property in the name of environmentalism.
Given my perceived connection between liberal politics and environmentalism, I was hesitant to have a difficult conversation on the topic with this man I was getting to know. But, our relationship was based on having the hard conversations — talking about anything and everything. Finally, one day I told him we probably wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on politics. He asked me why, and I told him because he was an environmentalist.
It isn’t that I don’t love nature or that my parents don’t love nature. They really love gardening, the land, and all of God’s creations. It’s just that most of the time, in government circles, it seems environmentalism is used as an excuse to steal people’s land or impose oppressive regulations that, ironically, only large corporations or the governments themselves can implement. Meanwhile, small and medium-sized businesses are crushed under the weight of excessive regulations. It’s a great way for politicians in league with big corporations to line their pockets and the big corporations to squeeze out any competition.
You Don’t Have to Be a Liberal to Be An Environmentalist
Dave asked me to explain my view of politics. I said I’m a constitutional conservative. I love the earth and nature, but I don’t want government involved in it. I’d rather see environmentalism handled in the private sector through volunteer efforts, non-profits, and individuals.
Dave surprised me by saying he believed the same thing. Since we’ve been married, he’s taught me a lot about hands-on, real-life conservation and environmentalism. We recycle everything we can. He takes kayak trips up and down the West Chickamauga Creek and the shores of Lake Winneconne, and collects trash. And on, and on, and on.
The Power of Pollinators
Most importantly, Dave’s taught me about pollinators and how native plants encourage more pollinators. He has systematically gone through most of our property and removed non-native, invasive privet, vines, wild roses (surprise! They’re not native!), Bradford pears, and other foreign species. The privet and other non-native plants take over, using up resources and space that could be used by native plants.
When he first started removing the privet and other non-natives, we had very few birds, butterflies, fireflies or bees on the property. Now we have dozens of new native plant species coming up, attracting lots of birds, bees, fireflies, moths, butterflies, dragonflies and more.
Native Insects Can’t Utilize Non-Native Plants
I didn’t really understand why it was such a big deal that non-native plants were taking over, other than that they used up space for more diverse native species. The most important reason to remove non-natives is that the insects and birds can’t eat them or live on them. They are not pollinator friendly. For pollinators to eat these non-native plants, would be like us eating the leaves of a poisonous plant. These non-native plants don’t taste good to the insects or birds, and most of these plants would even be toxic to them. That’s part of the reason they were imported: They were disease and pest resistant!
You might think, “Oh, that’s great! The bugs won’t eat them. They’ll stay prettier and we’ll have fewer bugs. Who wants bugs, anyway?”
The birds do! The birds live off bugs. Caterpillars live off native plants. It turns out (something Dave’s forest ranger father didn’t even know until recently) that caterpillars are the primary food source for baby birds. The caterpillars that aren’t eaten by birds turn into butterflies, which are important pollinators. We need the insects because they feed the birds, which are important to the life cycle of plants. Insects like bees, butterflies, flies, wasps, dragonflies and others pollinate our gardens, orchards and more.
Those nay-sayers who say “the bugs destroy the plants,” actually, they don’t. Dave was distraught the first year tent caterpillars defoliated several wild cherry trees. They stripped the leaves in their hungry munching (although they attracted dozens of birds in the process). Dave reached out to a native pollinator group on what to do. “Nothing!” was their surprising answer. “Watch and learn.” So he waited … and to his surprise, the wild cherry trees set out a second sets of leaves, became full of foliage, bloomed and set fruit, just as they had done for eons.
Nature figures it out, IF the plants are native.
Nothing Grows Without Pollinators
Try growing something like a zucchini with no pollinators around. The zucchini will grow to be about as long as your thumb and shrivel on the vine. I know, because when Dave and I put in our first garden, there were hardly any pollinators. We couldn’t get our zucchini or squash to grow.
Noting the lack of birds, butterflies, and bees on our property, Dave said we needed to convert our lawn to wildflowers. I thought this sounded like an overgrown, unmanageable nightmare. I love green sod. I’ve lived next to a sod farm for 20+ years! I’ve blessed the sod farmer in my prayers every winter because he brings the only green I see in the dreary months of January and February.
Dave explained to me that manicured lawns are sterile. Bugs don’t live in them, and they attract no pollinators.
When Dave talked me into converting a section of our yard to wildflowers, I soon became a fan. The wildflowers were gorgeous when they came into bloom. Soon, we were sitting on our front porch watching goldfinch and butterflies hang out on the flowers. Now I’m ready to convert the whole front yard to wildflowers.
We Need a More Friendly, Fun Approach to Conservationism
Many people who are environmentalists or conservationists come across as militant and holier-than-thou. This is a real turn-off. Dave, on the other hand, took the time to explain and educate me. His love of nature is infectious. By letting me see how loving nature worked in reality, and making the whole process fun and beautiful, I soon became a convert.
People can rant and rave about the destruction of the rainforests or about climate change all day long, and it won’t do a thing. If anything, it makes a large segment of the population think they’re nuts. What we need is revitalization of the love of nature and a basic understanding of how nature works. One politician was reported as saying something like, “We don’t need to worry about agriculture. We can just go to the store for our milk and eggs.” Whether the politician actually said it or not isn’t the point. The point is, most kids grow up thinking that way. This is the kind of ignorance we’re breeding in a world so disconnected from the land and from nature.
It’s Time to Remember
My father grew up on a farm. My grandparents and great-grandparents were farmers. I remember my great-aunt telling me about the Great Depression and saying, “We had everything but money.”
Our ancestors understood the interconnectedness of life. What is missing today is much more basic than the sky-is-falling rants of climate changers demanding the government do something to fix it. It’s what is happening every day in our individual lives and in our own yards. The point is that the insects and birds — pollinators — are critical to plant life. Without plant life and pollinators, humans have no food. Without food, humans die.
Anything we can do to feed and attract pollinators (like converting sterile lawns to wildflowers), the better off humans will be. We don’t need to wait for big government to shut down some factory somewhere or create a new regulation. We can make a difference right now in our own yards. Each one of us who owns the smallest plot of land can plant native, pollinator-friendly plants and flowers.
How to Learn (and Do) More
If you’d like to learn the mechanics of how nature works and what you can do, pick up a copy of Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home. Tallamy started the concept that every individual property owner can make a difference. Check out HomeGrownNationalPark.org.
I’d love for classrooms across the country to get rid of Critical Race Theory, Common Core, and the sky-is-falling doomsday theories, and spend more time teaching children to love and understand nature. Let them plant wildflowers or vegetables in the dirt and learn about the beautiful web that connects insects, plants, birds, animals and people.
In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over the earth. That dominion is a stewardship, not a domination. The more people understand nature and develop a love for it, the more of an impact for good we can make as stewards of the earth.
The more we see the sacred inter-connectedness of all living things, the more we understand that we really can make a difference, and the difference is absolutely gorgeous, beautiful, life-giving and fun!
Dave and I are members of LDS Earth Stewardship. Our Wildflower Spiral is one of the 201 Earth Stewardship Projects. We are considering starting an earth stewardship group in the Northwest Georgia / Chattanooga, TN area. If you are interested in being a part of it, please let us know.
