Milkweed and Fireflies
A happy little ecosystem
Of course, I’ve heard the concerns for the bees, and I understand their value to the planet. Bees pollinate. I have a love-hate relationship. I love the work they do. I hate the physical threat of them. I’m allergic. I should carry an EpiPen.
I know my little patch of Earth on the planet can’t fix the planet. I have gratitude when I see the positive changes from small adjustments to my little patch. Last Fall, I put a leaf edict in the yard. Cleaning up fallen leaves seemed senseless. Those leaves were Mother Nature’s yard food. I also learned that bees overwinter in leaves. Why go to the farm and garden store to buy fertilizer when it falls from the trees and provides a haven for pollinators? We pushed the leaf pile to the base of our sugar maple, and once the bees woke in spring, we started adding them to the garden soil.
For maybe 10 years, I put a milkweed edict in the yard. Milkweed is a butterfly plant, specifically the monarch. I noticed one spring up on the edge of my yard and asked my husband not to mow it. Now, a chunk of it grows unmowed. My daughter has been gifted the pleasure of hatching multiple monarchs. She watches them transform from caterpillar to butterfly in the living room. This year, our milkweed patch is large and bordered by Tiger lilies, black raspberries, and clustered bellflowers. Our wild milkweed patch has turned into a pollinator patch. When I go out to look for caterpillars, the flowers atop the milkweed are always moving. They’re moving because they’re filled with fat, gentle bumble bees. Smaller, possibly mason bees and other insects, are thriving on the flowers. It’s a thrill. My tiny patch of Earth is filled with precious creatures.
Last year, I was listening to the radio and a DJ warned that we are losing our fireflies. I didn’t do any research. I just kept the information and planned to remind my daughter to enjoy them this summer. This summer, my backyard is glowing with them. I started to question the DJ’s accuracy. My backyard has more than I’ve seen in a long time.
The DJ was correct. The firefly population is dropping. My yard is filled because of my nonconformist attitude to yard maintenance. My yard is also filled because fireflies need moisture, proximity to water. Oh, thanks, Great Lake State! They also need less light pollution, no pesticides, tall grass, or leaf litter. I found that the wild milkweed patch is providing shelter, nectar, and just like monarchs, defensive compounds for their protection.
I wondered if having a lot of fireflies was good for a yard beyond the joy they bring to children and adults. Fireflies are natural pest control. The larvae feed on snails, slugs, and soft-bodied insects. So they eat those nasty things that eat your tomatoes!
That leaf litter I kept in my yard fed my garden for free, as well as provided a natural, non-cancer-causing pesticide for free. My neighbor does not enjoy my nonconformist yard attitude. In his mind, it’s probably evidence of laziness, like having a sink full of dirty dishes and piles of dirty laundry on the floor.
It’s knowing Mother Nature does a better job on her own. It’s knowing I’m wasting more energy and resources trying to control her and tame her. I’m going to trust her in my yard and report on the magic she brings. So far, it’s bees, monarchs, and fireflies. It’s weeds that make great medicine and food, and it’s the beauty of the wild.
