Why are moths attracted to lamps? One theory states that male moths are attracted to light sources because female moths also emit light. So, to test the theory, researches set up traps and counted their moths. And in the pile of male moths they also found many females!? Hmm. Were those gay moths?
This is one of many things you will learn while reading Dave Goulson’s excellent new book, “The Garden Jungle: Or Gardening to Save the World“. Dr. Goulson has a Ph.D. in butterfly ecology so you know you will learn lots from his book.
It’s my habit to listen to audiobooks whenever I work solo in the landscape. I hate to do it when I have crew members around because it distracts me and it makes it difficult to lead workers.
The book is a pleasant 7.5 hour listen. I prefer to listen at 1.5x speed. It will also qualify for 7.5 CEUs towards my landscape industry certified recertification.
Bee-friendly plants?
One stunning revelation from this book sticks out. Research in the UK showed that many stores in the UK sell plants labelled as bee-friendly. I’ve bought some myself in British Columbia, excited about having my own flowers and about helping insects.
Shockingly, many of the bee-friendly plants aren’t bee-friendly at all. They contain traces of various pesticides. It’s so bad, you might as well grow your flowers from seed. How is this allowed to happen is beyond me.
Earwigs
Earwigs get their own section in the book and, I’m ashamed to admit, I needed this lesson. Whenever I find them in the garden I feel creeped out. I think it’s the pincers that do it but I need not worry. The pincers are fairly soft and the pinch non-fatal.
Saving the planet
Yes, the book contains tons of technical stuff on insects and flowers but it’s also a call to action. And I totally agree.
We need more insect-friendly plants, and we must stop spraying gardens with chemicals. It doesn’t work anyway. We need insects and good soils.
Sometimes people get depressed and overwhelmed when they consider the big picture of our planet under assault and the global warming emergency underway. But Goulson wants you to start with your own garden. Keep your soils healthy, grow a wide variety of flowers and vegetables. And don’t even think about applying poisons in your garden.
One action you can take right now, is to read Goulson’s book.
