While weeding one of our flower beds the other day, I noticed dozens of tiny tree seedlings growing beneath one of our trees. Tulip poplar, eastern red cedar, sassafras, and a few others.
I hadn’t planted a single one of them. The birds had!
Over the past year, they’d been eating seeds and berries around the farm and unknowingly planted the next generation for me.
They had all sprouted so close together that most would never have survived where they were. So, I transplanted them into pots, giving each one a chance to grow. Instead of collecting seeds, cleaning them, stratifying them, and hoping they’ll germinate, I simply transplanted seedlings the birds had already planted.
As I potted them up, I realized those little seedlings were a reminder that nature is often doing more than we realize.
Plant native shrubs, and birds help spread their seeds.
Plant host plants, and they feed caterpillars that become beautiful butterflies, while also feeding hungry baby birds.
Plant flowers, and pollinators help create the next generation of plants.
These relationships have been unfolding for thousands of years. Native plants simply invite us to become part of the story.
These little seedlings are now growing in pots at the nursery. Before long, they’ll head off to new homes, where they’ll feed birds, shelter wildlife, and perhaps someday, those birds will plant the next generation of trees there too.
Perhaps that’s one of the greatest gifts of native plants. The more we work alongside nature, the more we realize we’ve never been working alone.