The joys of gardens

Gardening has always been a part of my life from my early childhood when iwould help my parents in our home garden to when i was a homeowner with my own garden. Not only does a garden offer up a bounty of produce, it also provides a world full of amazing creatures both big and small.

Dragonflies were frequent guests to the garden having grown up in the beaver ponds at the back of our property. Skillful hunters, they flitted around constantly, on the prowl for any small insect they could grab. To the ancient Native Americans of the southwest the dragonfly was an important totem as they bred and lived around water and in the arid lands water was essential and precious.

While snakes aren't looked upon with such reverence (and are more often feared or disdained) they were a welcome addition to my garden community. Silent predators of grasshoppers, small rodents and others they would often be seen sunning themselves on the rocks or poking their heads out of their hidden lairs. And while these Garter snakes were harmless to us, they would use their scent glands to let you know they didn't appreciate being handled.

Bullfrogs were happy to take up residence in the small pond near the garden, ready to gulp down just about any creature that would fit in its huge mouth (other bullfrog or Leopard frogs included). Not many creatures bothered these big fellows so they would sit out in the open like a king surveying his kingdom.

Of course no garden, orchard or any plant would be whole without bees. While honeybees are rightly respected for the work they do as pollinators and honey producers, they are not native to the US. The humble bumblebee, a big, lumbering furball, IS a native and although not the prolific pollinator it still holds a special place in my gardens. On chilly days/evenings they could be found resting on my sunflowers, waiting for the sun's warmth to return.

Of course the best animal to grace my garden was my beautiful Bella. She would happily help me dig in the dirt (whether I wanted her to or not) and vainly chase the rabbits that thought I was growing the crops just for them.

Of course some of the creatures I would have rather stayed out of my crops but it was their world as well and as long as they weren't too destructive...well, live and let live. The porcupine made himself welcome to my peach trees, enjoying the fresh crops but not eating too many of the fruit. His coat of quills was an impressive defense and a lightning-fast flick of that tail could be dangerous (Bella found that out the hard way one evening- 200 quills to her muzzle. She left porcupines a wide berth after that experience.

Sometimes a visitor just leaves traces in the garden to let me know they had visited. This was what a young black bear left as evidence of his nocturnal visit one day. A destroyed sunflower feeder, a bent iron stand and tracks through the garden. He would return several times to enjoy the peaches as well and try to get a hold of the hummingbird feeders as well. No major damage and he would lumber off into the woods once Bella started barking.

In the end my garden was always a peaceful place for me where I could spend hours in the soil. And it was always a joy to grow and share in the bounty.