Holy Comforter Creation Care

We tend to think of soil as something inert that we can just walk all over. Actually, among other things, it contains the seeds of many plants that are just waiting for their opportunity to grow. (These seeds together are called the Seed Bank. Nice name, isn’t it?)

One species which is very quick off the mark to germinate is Erechtites hieraciifolius also called fireweed or American burnweed. As you can imagine, it gets this name because it is one of the first plants to sprout after a fire. It is what is called a pioneer species.

Well, we didn’t have a fire on our property, but from the point of view of the seed, there was suddenly a lot of light, just as there would have been, if a fire had razed all the existing vegetation. It needed no further prompting, and started growing immediately.

What does this mean for us, stewards of this land?

Fireweed is a native plant, so we don’t have to worry about it becoming invasive like the bamboo.

We were worried about soil erosion, as rain water cascaded over what had suddenly become bare ground. But we don’t have to worry about that now – the fireweed is holding it all in place for us.

And what about the cascading water? Well, that is still making its way to the pond. But it is doing so slowly, and watering the plants along the way.

While the fireweed is standing there, its roots are sinking into the ground. That means the earth is becoming softer and more workable. Less work for us!

Burnweed is an annual. It is going to make flowers. You might miss seeing them – they are small and not very interesting to us. Then it is going to lie down and die. And then it is going to form mulch which is entirely free, and already on site and spread for us. What a gift!

Being in nature and caring for nature are acts of worship. In this time when much of our worship must be outside, we are grateful for our natural spaces that also support more formal worship.

In the first Creation story, (Genesis Chapter 1) we read about our relationship with God and with the Earth. Holy Comforter’s Creation Care committee, in alignment with the Diocesan Creation Care Task Force, is working on what that means to our community.

Our goal is a gentler integration of human activities into the natural world, God’s larger creation.

God created Light, which provides energy for the world, and therefore we want to reduce the impact of our energy footprint on climate and resources.

God created the Sea and therefore we want to minimize our impact on local streams and on the Chesapeake. One way to do this is to contain and guide the flow of stormwater, so as to mitigate erosion.

God created the Sky, and therefore we want to preserve our trees so that they can sequester carbon, keeping it from the atmosphere.

God created Land, and therefore we need to treat our Holy Comforter property as Sacred Space. We are working to lighten the burden of invasive plants, such as bamboo.

God created Plants, and therefore we strive to maintain a healthy and rich local ecosystem of diverse flora because they support a diversity of fauna. We want to preserve our trees because they support wildlife directly, and create adequate growing conditions for many other plants.

God created Birds and Fish, and therefore we strive to create a welcoming environment for these creatures, by providing sources of food and water and places to nest, as well as minimizing air and water pollution.

Invasive plants often have lovely flowers, or meet specific landscaping needs.

They tend to be hardy, tolerant of a wide variety of sun and shade.

They usually don’t attract insects.

They spread well, and are very easy to propagate.

Growing invasive plants really makes a gardener look good! So what could possibly be wrong with that?

By definition, invasive plants come from another part of the world. Many were imported for some appealing trait, like attractive flowers. But they have no niche in our local eco-system.

Only those imported plants that are particularly hardy become invasive. If the plants needed a lot of care and attention, they would only grow where they are nurtured.

While having a yard that is free of insects sounds appealing, it would actually be a problem. Other animals, such as birds, depend on insects for food. And the soil depends on the insects to provide nutrients. Each type of insect can usually only get nourishment from a few plant species. And these invasive plants are usually not on their edible list.

An ability to spread means that invasive plants will overwhelm any place they are planted, until they are vigorously cut back. You can see how the mile-a-minute is climbing over the trees on Holy Comforter property:

Spreading in this way is part of the problem. The other part is seed distribution. We don’t notice this in our yards, because we tend to them. But when a seed lands in an open space, there is nothing to stop it growing and proliferating. Look along the edges of trails, and you’ll see climbing roses, nandina, and a host of other plants that escaped from suburban yards.

Fairfax City has provided information on some of the more problematic plants in our area. To learn more, follow this link:

https://www.fairfaxva.gov/government/parks-recreation/parks-and-trails/invasive-plants

If you have had experience with troublesome invasive plants, please let us know in the comments section.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119 v 105)

It was when the bamboo was cut down, that I realized that Holy Comforter had received the gift of many square yards of usable land. How should it best be used?

At first it seemed that a circular path to walk the Stations of the Cross would be a good idea. Sure, but why stop there?

Well, then, what about a Nature path from the pond to the trees at the top of the rise? Sure, but why stop there?

What about a path that begins at the Labyrinth, passes the pond, makes a circle where the bamboo used to be, and continues up through the stand of trees? This is getting better!

With a few zigs and zags, we could join with the path that goes through the Columbarium, and we could walk half way around the church property. Great!

Half way around? Why stop there?

Well, there’s no way to walk across near the far end of the parking lot, because that is entirely overgrown with a nasty, thorny creeper called mile-a-minute. Oh, no, wait! Our landscapers have replaced a nice strip of that with grass.

So now the path can leave the far end of the Labyrinth, pass the steps, and join this grassy strip of sidewalk. Fantastic!

Then there’s nothing for it but to walk through the parking lot to the circle. Nothing like a Nature Walk, but oh, well . . .

This is all very well, but the path remains only an idea in my mind. Making it happen will take meetings and decisions and money aaaand it might never happen.

So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I showed up at church recently, to find that the landscapers had done a lot of clearing. Invasive English Ivy, and a whole lot of other awful things had grown into a thicket. Once that was cleared, we could see that we have a whole row of American Holly. Another gift!

And underneath the Holly, flat, walkable land. A path!

The next steps are to clear away the debris (I’m working on that), put down cardboard (kindly donated by you) and then wood chips (free from Fairfax County). No meetings required! If we decide against a path, then all we’ve done is prevent the creepers from growing back.

(We need clean, flat, brown cardboard boxes. If you have any, please put them just inside the downstairs red door, and Tom will keep them until we have enough.)

That little strip of future path represents my life. On the one hand, I don’t know where I’m going. On the other hand, it is where I am right now. And, it could become part of something much bigger.

Following the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), so far we have talked about clearing away the plants that harbor them, and sources of standing water, where the lavae grow. Now it is time to look at mosquitoes natural predators, and how to attract them.

A good first step, paradoxically, is to establish a pond. Remember, mosquitoes don’t lay their eggs in ponds, because there are too many predators? So, if you can, make a pond. If you already have one, enjoy!

Ponds will attract dragonflies, which feed on mosquitoes. They like aquatic plants in and around the water, so they can hide and breed. Ponds also attract fish that eat mosquitoes. Beware, however, of the nicely named “mosquito fish.” It is an invasive species, and if it can escape from the pond, will spread like the snakehead fish.

Bats need water, too, and they eat a lot of mosquitoes. To attract bats you could set up a bat house. These need to meet certain requirements. Much easier to do, is to have less outdoor light, so that the bats feel more at home.

Among other birds that feed on mosquitoes is the purple martin. These interesting birds have forgotten how to make their own nests, and so are dependent on humans to do this for them. They tend to like groups of gourd-shaped nests.

And while you’re setting about attracting birds, put in plants that are native to your local area. These will support the caterpillars that baby birds need, until they, too are old enough to fly around catching mosquitoes.

Following the guidelines of Integrated Pest Management, means that we need to learn as much as we can about a pest, so that we can use every strategy we can to decrease the annoyance. Last week I mentioned that mosquitoes like to hang out in English Ivy, and other such dense growth. This week we’ll take a look at some other habitat requirements.

When a mosquito is ready to lay eggs, she needs to feed (on us!) and then look for a suitable home for her children.

She has to find water, because mosquito babies need that. But not a pond, because it is too full of predators.

And not running water, because that would not supply the algae etc that the larvae need to eat.

So, a small quantity of water that’s likely to grow algae and will be undisturbed for about a week. Got it!

Therefore, if you don’t want mosquitoes to move into your neighborhood, then make sure that there is no standing water on your property. Check random collection points, like these, as well as gutters and possible water collection points that the bottom of downspouts.

A bird bath makes an excellent home for mosquitoes. Depending on the temperature of the water, mosquitoes take 4 – 14 days from egg to adult. So, if you change the water in the bird bath ever 4 – 5 days, then they will never have long enough to complete that part of their life cycle. Another way to interfere with the development of larvae, is to keep the water moving, by using a fountain, for example.

Unrelated to mosquitoes: De Paul’s Urban Farm, on Maple Ave, has a display of native plants. Check it out!

Just note that the plants they are spotlighting are native to some part of the US, not necessarily Northern Virginia. The nursery has several other NoVa Natives in other sections, including Joe Pye Weed.

Let us know in the comments section if you bought, or already have, any of these plants.

Integrated Pest Management is method for using all available ways to make our lived environment as comfortable as we can. To use this strategy effectively, we need to know as much as we can about the nuisance that is causing concern.

We know from unpleasant experience, that mosquitoes tend to be active at dawn and dusk. During the day they have to go somewhere, and it turns out that dense vegetation meets their needs.

English Ivy and Pachysandra both meet the requirements of tired mosquitoes. The foliage is thick, so they can hide underneath the leaves, and escape predators. The dense growth provides humidity, as well as some shade for a little bit of cool.

So a good first step to get the better of mosquitoes would be to ensure that these thickly growing plants are not flourishing near to where you would like to be.

Unrelated, and just to cheer us up, here is a picture of the Beebalm that is flowering between the chapel and the columbarium:

Integrated Pest Management (also known as IPM) is just a fancy way of saying: Use all the pest control tools available to you. It takes a step-ladder approach, beginning with the cheapest and least toxic, and ending with a crop-spraying ‘plane flying over!

The Virginia Cooperative Extension gets us started. To solve pest problems:

• identify the pest or pests and determine whether control is warranted for each
• determine pest control goals
• know what control tactics are available
• evaluate the benefits and risks of each tactic or combination of tactics
• choose the most effective strategy that causes the least harm to people and the environment
• use each tactic in the strategy correctly
• observe local, state, and Federal regulations that apply to the situation

The best strategy for each situation depends on the pest and the control needed.

In other words, we don’t have to pick one way of dealing with pests, we can use as many as we need! Over the next few weeks, I plan to show you how this works, using mosquitoes as an example.

Have you recently stopped to notice the garden under our Welcome sign? No? Well, then, let’s take a look.

For a long time the garden has contained lavender plants. The flowers are harvested, and then incorporated into the Welcome packets that are given to newcomers.

Last year, the plants needed to be replaced, and you can see the new lavender plants flowering in the middle of the garden bed. Here is a close-up picture of one them:

Since the new plants are so much smaller than the old ones, that left a lot of space available for more flowers. Our gardeners chose plants that are native to Northern Virginia. The Golden Groundsel has finished flowering. This is what would have looked like:

Watch out for it next year!

Flowering right now is Threadleaf coreopsis. It looks like this:

You will see that this cultivar is called ‘Moonbeam.’ That means it has been bred for certain characteristics. All of the ‘Moonbeam’ plants look exactly the same, no matter where they are purchased. That means if you want more plants in a particular place, you don’t have to remember where you bought the first lot, and hope they still have some! The plants form seeds, but these are developed so that they cannot germinate. This means several things: you can’t save the seeds and propagate more plants from them next year; and the plants can’t pop up where you didn’t mean them to be. They also can’t easily spread to fill a space. The plants do grow bigger, though – so they do fill out that way. And if you dig up the plants every few years and thin them you can get new plants that way. But you wouldn’t be allowed to sell those seedlings.

There are other plants in the garden. Tell us in the Comments section what you can find.

If you’re looking for flowers in the Meditation Garden right now, you’ll find Anise hyssop. Here is a picture, so you can greet the plant by name.

And here is some information, from the Xerces Society’s website:

“Giant Blue Hyssop

Agastache foeniculum

“Members of the mint family tend to be highly attractive to bees, and giant hyssop is no exception – in fact, it happens to be one of the most attractive plants for bees and supports a diversity of pollinators. Historically, mass plantings of giant blue hyssop were established in parts of the Midwest and Canada specifically as a “honey plant” to support apiaries. While bees probe the deep tubular flowers for nectar, skippers, fritillaries, and the occasional hummingbird may also visit the plant.

“Though it is in the mint family, it does not spread aggressively like culinary mint, though it may be prone to re-seeding throughout the garden. As it’s generally ignored by rabbits and deer, it may be used as a barrier to keep them away from more sensitive plants.”

So, it has a long bloom time, and deer don’t like it. Great!

If you see any pollinators around the plants, let us know in the comments section.