Backyard Garden as Ecological Sanctuary
Dr Abe V Rotor
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid DZRB 738 AM, 8 to 9 Evening Class
Monday to Friday, Dr. Abe V. Rotor and Ms. Melly Tenorio,
Rambutan grows on a backyard at Quezon City
Honey bee frequently visit flowering plants; spiders are residents and trap insects for food.
Everyday birds from the
watershed come to our garden. They perch on the trees singing melodious
songs for hours. They are a gentle alarm clock and at sunset draw out
the tension of the day. For some 25 years now with
the children spending their childhood and adolescence, memories come
spontaneously alive at nature’s presence. We look for nature, and nature
comes to you, too. We can make the backyard a sanctuary of living
things. It becomes a corner of Eden so to speak, in the inner eyes of
the English poet John Milton, in the soul searching music of Beethoven,
and in the quasi-spiritual reverence for life of John Muir and Aldo
Leopold.
What makes an ecological garden? Here are some guidelines.
Let
nature do the arranging of the plants – their kinds, growing habits,
seasonal occurrence, and niches. This principle must prevail over our
plan to make the garden Italian or Japanese in which case it is man who dictates the
plan of the garden.
The garden serves three important functions.
•
Cooling effect. A 10-year old acacia tree for example, has the capacity
to provide the cooling power of ten 10Hp air conditioning units. Trees
make a huge umbrella that protects us from heat stroke.
•
Windbreak. Trees, especially if planted in group or rows, and in
combination of other plants, can withstand the strength of strong wind.
•
Sound barrier. Foliage serves as acoustic, absorbing echoes, and
filtering unwanted sound waves, and resonating the good ones like in an
amphitheater.
• Dust filter. Plants eliminate particles in the air
with their leaves trapping and moistening them with transpired water,
thus sending them back to the soil.
• Radiation filter. Plants
serve as buffer against ultraviolet rays as well as cosmic rays. So with
other forms of radiation, visible and invisible, that are harmful to
health and environment.
• Color filter. Plants act like a giant
prism, but unlike the lens, colors are pooled into a common color -
green – the coolest of all colors, neutral and soothing to the eyes and
other senses.
A garden is not a garden if it does not
smell like one. Ilang-ilang exudes sweet scent throughout the year. It
is sweetest in early morning and evening, and a soft breeze spreads the
scent in the neighborhood. The best scents in the garden come from
Eucalyptus, binunga (samat), pandan mabango, sweet basil, roses, rosal, dama de noche, and of course, sampaguita.
One day I found leisure watching a spider span a huge web. It is a giant spider called Haring Gagamba working
of a tapestry. I remember the story of the Irish hero, Robert The
Bruce, watch a spider making a web. The spider failed in several
attempts to construct the primary frame. It gave the downhearted hero
the heart to win back the crown.
In the garden, there
are unceasing battles between and among living things. . Birds eat on
caterpillar, frogs have their fill on flies, dragonflies hover and
devour flying gnats, spiders entrap grasshoppers, preying mantis prey on
unwary insects. I have observed hantik or green tree ants (Oecepalla
smaragdina) build nest in the upper branches of talisay. Their colony is
closely knit and their nest is an architectural wonder. The green
leaves are sewed together by the workers stroking the larvae to secrete a
sticky substance that dries like paper. The larva is actually carried
by an adult like a tube of epoxy as other workers hold the leaves to be
sewed together. These ants attack as an army that even a caterpillar is
subdued in an instant and sooner or later cut into pieces which the ants
carry to their nest to feed the colony.
Yet in the
same spot ants and termites live together. It is a demonstration on how
two different niches work, bounded by biological rules. The ant colony
stays above ground to up the foliage, while the termites in an anthill
called punso. Yes, the termites – they are an engineering genius. They
build their mound at the foot of the big talisay tree – then, when dug
out, move to another place overnight, and when we think they are no
longer there, it is likely that they are virtually sleeping with us
inside the house. And true, we discovered a colony of termite in an
apparador, and another in a roof beam. It is here that man turn against a
destructive organism.
Plants kill other plants to
maintain their boundaries. They abort germinating seeds even of their
kind that become threat to their existence. Allelopathy is a phenomenon
plants harm one another, in order to enhance success in competition for
sunlight, nutrients, water and space. Plants secrete chemicals in
their roots, stems, and leaves. To illustrate, we have a ten-year old
malunggay that is slowly being choked by coconut and binuga tree
(Macaranga tenarius). All the cultivars of mayana I planted were lost,
due to inter competition, and then they were overrun by carabao grass.
Ube (Dioscorea alata) takes advantage with its viny habit virtually
leaping out into space, its leaves covering much of the trees and wall,
then after rainy season it all disappears leaving but a five-kilo tuber
ensconced in the soft earth and mulch.
But wonder what
those plants are clinging on the trunk of trees. These are epiphytes, a
relationship called commensalism. The epiphytes benefit from their
tree host. They gain foothold and elevation to reach sunlight without
harming their host. We have a talisay tree that carries on its trunk a
cluster of native orchid that blooms with a dangling inflorescence
appearing like giant leis.
Lest a garden is misunderstood as
purely aesthetic and ecological, one coconut tree can provide an ample
supply of walis tingting, sweets, coconut milk (gata), husk for the
orchids, firewood, and buko, but we love this tree of life most whenever
birds build their nest on top and unfold a primitive sense of family
love and care.
At night bats come and gather the ripe
fleshy fruits of talisay (Terminalia catappa), and would accidentally
drop a fruit or two hitting the roof of our house, and if we are not
aware of the cause, we would attribute it to a prankster – or a spirit
who wants to disturb our sleep.
Do you believe in
spontaneoius generation? Saluyot, amaranth, kamkamote, Portulaca – these
and other wild growing vegetables pop out of the ground following the
first heavy rains in May, and believe me, after two weeks they are ready
for the kitchen. Their succulent leaves and stems are rich in vitamins
and minerals. But we do not gather the plants entirely; we simply trim
down the leaves leaving the plant to reach maturity. How these wild
species survive the dry months is a proof of their sturdiness which
guided their successful evolution.
How high can a tree
reach? Well, our ilang-ilang grew and grew and grew, and then one day a
strong wind decapitated it. Then the upper branches dried up one by one
until the tree has but a bunch of low branches. We know that there is
always limit to growth, and the very same factors that favored it also
created its liabilities. I am reminded of the syndrome of bigness
whether it be an animal or tree or business. We call this Dinosaur
Syndrome.
The Importance of a Garden Pond
Garden pond provides water and natural fertilizer, and adds coolness
to the surrounding. Catfish or hito, tilapia, pako, and aquarium fish are raised here.
Are you aware that
having a pond to complement your garden is beneficial for you and
members of your family? This is so because a pond represents an
ecosystem. As such it has the basic features of a functioning ecological
unit.
The pond is a field laboratory for microbiology.
Plankton organisms are revealed under the microscope. In their
diversity, a whole new world unfolds- a world man did not know before
Anton van Leewenhoek introduced the science of microscopy sometime in
the 17th century.
There are monerans and protists, the world’s
oldest - yet simplest - organisms. It is a wonder why these organisms did
not evolve and develop into complex organisms like the plants and
animals we know - and why they are ensconced in a confined environment
such as a pond.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
The
microcosm of the ocean is the pond; it is like “seeing the world in a
grain of sand.” And for the eons of time and generations these organisms
have passed through, it is like “holding eternity in the palm of the
hand.” Thus the pond is the representation of our biological world,
manifesting how little we know of God’s immense wisdom contained in a
drop of water that teems with myriads of micro-organisms.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Anyone
who takes time to sit by the pond could lose his thoughts in the larger
realm of nature and the countryside. Cattail and umbrella plants rise
among the floating water lilies, whose pink to purple flowers break the
monotony of the pondscape. But the centerpiece of the pond is a
community of white-flowered lotus or purple flowered Nymphaea..
From
the deep green water, one may be surprised to see a school of colorful
carp and tilapia, stirring at the slightest hint of company and food.
Their graceful movement creates gentle waves and soft lapping sounds
against the shore line. To an observant eye, small fish like Poecilia
and rainbow fish form small schools that inhabit the edges of the pond
and its tiny islets and coves formed by aquatic plants and stone. These
tiny fish are always mindful about staying out of the path of their
large counterpart. Other than small insects that fall into the water,
they subsist on the latter’s morsels.
At the bottom of
the pond lies the harmless, independent janitor fish known for their
role of eating crust of algae and scum. That is why they are important
in keeping aquariums and ponds clean. In the process, they convert
organic matter into detritus, the pond’s natural fertilizer, and are the
source of sediments that accumulate and become a foothold of aquatic
plants. Seldom to these helpful creatures rise to the surface, but if
you want to see these shy, docile fish, peer into the water on a clear
day when the sun is directly above, and you will find them lying
prostrate at the bottom, like sunken ship on a sea floor.
The
pond relieves tension. When you need to relax, observe the turtles
basking in the morning sun, stretching their neck and appendages. Or
watch those cooling off on a hot day, their nostrils and carapace
protruding out of the water. Nearby, a toad might patiently sit on a
leaf pad, sheepishly eyeing an unwary insect for its next meal, its long
tongue coiled like spring, ready to strike like lasso. And zap - poor fly has become a meal - and again, zap, zap.
Bees
buzz from flowers to flower, while dragonflies - red, green and brown -
hover prettily above the water as they search for a suitable place to
lay eggs that will hatch into aquatic nymphs that feed on mosquito
wrigglers and Daphnia.
Strung on leaves and stalks are spider webs glistening with dewdrops. These resemble strings of diamonds that will soon turn into nearly invisible death traps for the hoppers, mosquitoes and flies that stray into them. Frogs are permanent residents in a small pond, singing at the onset of rain and exchange love calls throughout the breeding season. They remain quiet in summer as they aestivate and wait for the rains to come again.
Strung on leaves and stalks are spider webs glistening with dewdrops. These resemble strings of diamonds that will soon turn into nearly invisible death traps for the hoppers, mosquitoes and flies that stray into them. Frogs are permanent residents in a small pond, singing at the onset of rain and exchange love calls throughout the breeding season. They remain quiet in summer as they aestivate and wait for the rains to come again.
Kataba or canal fish
(Poecillia) thrives without any care, as long as there is water, living
on plankton and insects that fall into the pond or attracted by a nearby
vigil light. Whenever there is stagnant pools around, I put a pair of
these mosquito-eating fish and that solves the possibility of malaria or
dengue to occur in our the place. Our pond serves as kataba nursery of
sort; we give relatives, friends and students who wish to grow kataba in
their own aquarium or pond.
The green water in the
pond is a good hunting ground for microscopic flora and fauna. With a
microscope on hand I have discovered a lot of planktons, many of which
are unfamiliar. The green color is made up of millions of one-celled
green algae which constitute the pasture of zooplankton organisms. They
are the autotrophs, the base of the food pyramid in a pond ecosystem.
Would
a backyard fill in the vacuum created by our wanton destruction of
natural resources, the rape of our forests, the draining of swamps, the
conversion of mangrove to fisheries? Or the gross negligence in keeping
our lakes and rivers full and clean – or at least for having nature to
take care of them? I doubt. But the little Eden each one of us make in
our backyards would collectively recreate little by little that bigger
Paradise we lost, when and to what extent, we can only surmise and
struggle with will and resolve. It is our little contribution in
regaining the Lost Paradise. xxx
 |
| Author conducts field lecture with his class in biology at the UST Graduate School. |
Grotto is a common feature of a Filipino garden.
Trivia: Do you believe in the Doctrine of Signatures? By examining the physical characteristics of plants we can read how nature intended them to be used. This is not true.
This is a belief called Doctrine of Signatures, which was popular during the Middle Ages. Liverworts (Riccia and Marchantia) which resemble the shape of liver are effective for liver diseases. The shapes of eggplant and avocado suggest fertility and aphrodisiac value. Apple and mango resemble the heart and are therefore good when it comes to matters of love. Kidney beans are good for the kidney, but the truth is that it has high uric acid content. The garlic plant has a hollow stem so that it would be of benefit in afflictions of the windpipe, hence used in all types of respiratory disorders such as cough, colds, catarrh, asthma and bronchial problems. Physical appearance has nothing to do with the curative powers of plants, or animals for that matter. It is true that garlic is an effective respiratory cure, but it is its active ingredients that are responsible for it. ~
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