If you’re familiar with our farm, you probably already know that a major part of our plan is thinking about the whole landscape holistically. We don’t just plant Christmas trees, we are stewards of an ecosystem. More of our land is fallow, or in cover crops than is planted to trees. There are pockets where we plant throw native perennial seeds with abandon. Come winter when the farm is mowed and cleaned up, you’d never guess just how wile the place was just a few months ago with fawns hiding in the grass, coyotes looking for mice, fox saying whatever they say, bear snacking on berries, and bobcat passing on through. Too many types to name, but they count too. It all seems so quiet in December, in contrast to peak summer when the farm is humming with life and activity. Literally. Sometimes the buzzing of the insects is so loud, I hear it through my hearing protection.
During a late August day, I walked through a field goldenrod, clover and other native plants to find a scene strangely stunning, visually and audibly vibrating with insects.This video doesn’t quite capture it, so use a little imagination.
