Puddock Hill Journal #11: From Death, Life
In a well-balanced ecosystem, the dead things are nearly as important as the living.
By dead, I don’t mean the seemingly inert geological components, although those are significant, too. I mean once-living things that have expired: animals and plants, of course, but also at times their component parts.
One important theme for the backyard steward is to let go the notion that a neater garden is a better garden. This can be true right beside the house—where, surely, a perfect but sterile paving job would be neater than pesky plants expressing themselves—but it is especially important to keep in mind around the edges of one’s property.
A few years ago, after Kennett Township sponsored a presentation by a Pennsylvania state forester, I invited him to visit Puddock Hill, which some might find significant in scale, but to a state forester represents less than a rounding error. Whether he agreed to come out of generosity or obligation, he showed up as promised a few weeks later.