I pen this note on a brisk spring day. As the old saying goes, March came in like a lion. Only this year, the lion has no intention of being tamed into a lamb anytime soon. In the Mountains of Western North Carolina, particularly in areas impacted by Helene, folks are doing their best to get back to some semblance of “normal.” However, those who’ve been tied to this land for ages know one thing for certain. Just like the sun will rise and set, our mountains were forever changed by Helene this past September.
Did you know that Helene took out 40 percent of our tree population? As a direct result—there’s no gentle way to break the news—it’s going to be a brutally hot summer. This will impact fish, wildlife, plant life and humans. One can’t suffer this tremendous loss of life-sustaining trees without feeling an impact.
For me, the loss of a single tree is a sorrowful thing (except Bradford Pear trees, I’ll write about them at another time). There was a time when parents planted a tree to celebrate the birth of a child or grandchild. Typically, this was a magnolia, one of those glorious sugar maples, or a dogwood. We have turned away from this practice, citing the cost or perhaps not having enough personal land to sustain trees.
We must purpose to do better.
Upon hearing the news about the loss of trees, I discover a new friend, Cassie. This fellow nature lover and empathic soul set out on a mission called “Good Deed Seed: Rewild WNC initiative.” You can find details on Facebook. Her purpose is simple: reestablish our pollinator and native habitats and rebuilding community gardens.
Dear Ones, we must rebuild pollinator environments snappy-quick-pronto-lightning-fast-pretty-please. I don’t have to remind y’all that I can be found most anywhere there is a seed swap, seed library, or plant rescue. Several of y’all donated to the seed library in Kentucky, whereby we rebuilt a seed catalog from the ground up. We must do it again in Western North Carolina.
Helping Mother Nature is what I do when I feel helpless, which, months after Helene, I still feel. Sitting in my house wringing my hands has never been an option. Leaving the house and walking the field to get my hands dirty, well, that is.
Last fall, while strolling through my meadow trying to understand how I can help Mother Nature heal, I encountered Goldenrod and Yellow Crownbeard, two important pollinator plants. (As an aside, you aren’t allergic to Goldenrod, you are allergic to the ragweed that blooms simultaneously.)
The bright yellow flowers of Goldenrod and Crownbeard were absolutely covered with every imaginable pollinator, including those pesky sweat bees that seem to land on the bend of my legs and sting the pudding out of me, but I digress. The cycle is indisputable. Pollinators need food and we need pollinators to grow our own food.
Encouraged by Cassie’s vision, I began lifting goldenrod, which was easy to discover in the fall as the spent stem and seedpods jutted out from the earth. During the process, I noticed several red maple seedlings waving hello. Red maples love to cast their whirly-gig seeds on the wind and directly into my daffodil bed (where nothing is allowed except daffys).
Each spring, I usually find myself pulling maple seedlings, tossing them aside while trying to locate where in the tarnation the mother tree is. This year, I found myself begging friends for empty plastic containers in which to transplant the precious seedlings.
You see my friends, we are all on this earth together. It doesn’t matter if you believe in climate change or global warming; it doesn’t matter if you like trees or not. It doesn’t matter if you believe that bees are in trouble. On September 27, 2024, Mother Nature shouted her extreme displeasure, and we best listen up. Why? Because now a path has been cut. There’s nothing but ourselves left to protect us from more destruction. We must become better earth stewards, snappy-quick-pronto-lightning-fast-pretty-please.
Children, it’s time to teach your parents how to fall in love with trees. Grandparents, what about planting a tree in honor of your grandchild, or with your grandchild assisting?
Absent this family activity, did you know you can join the Arbor Day Foundation for around $20? As long as supplies last, they will ship you 10 small seedlings that have been specifically selected for your zip code. Additionally, your membership comes with a discount on future trees purchased. The 4-H Club—through your local Cooperative Extension Service—is also a fantastic resource for ordering trees. I’m sure they are ordering soon for fall planting. The proceeds from trees sales, including fruit trees, stay local and support the youth who are interested in learning more about the environment.
If not me, then who?
If not you, then who?
Conversely, every single construction project is now on my radar. Shrubs, daffodils, trees, anything I can dig up I’m taking them to re-wild the mountains. Please don’t call law enforcement when you see me, foot on shovel, hair flapping in the wind, digging like a woman possessed, because you and I both know that any plant in the path of construction is dead as a hammer. In fact, if you are law enforcement (name withheld), thank you for helping me dig those plants in that (undisclosed) location. You understood. We humans need trees!
Perhaps it’s the empathic nature I possess, but when I saw after Helene what used to be the yard of an 82-year-old woman, wiped clean and covered in several feet of sand, my heart immediately said, “Renea, if you were that age and endured such hardship, wouldn’t you like someone to bring flowers, just one flower, and replant it to bring you joy?”
I am just one person. So are you. To simplify this math problem, me + you = 2, and together we are strong. If I don’t get the plants that are growing in the path of destruction, feel free to take them. Plant them somewhere. Anywhere.
Put those babies in a container, add an inch of mulch and drive into any community impacted by Helene. Affix a sign onto the pot with a clip scribbled, FREE TREE.
Need containers? Your local Home Depot, Lowe’s or nurseries typically accept used pots for recycling. Free for the taking.
If you are sick and tired of seeing goldenrod, people are literally begging for it because it feeds the bees. My humble meadow has provided more than I can possibly imagine; for her I am grateful. It is almost like she knows the task at hand.
Friends, we simply must do all that we can, as long as we can, to replenish the earth as she works to heal herself. Trust me on this: You may feel like only one person, but you are not alone. Together will can make a difference.