Love for the Unloved, Roll Out the Green Carpet.
What are men compared to fungus and worms?
Dive deep down past the aesthetics of the plants and sink into the muddy goodness that is the soul of the earth to find out. You will find fungus, termites, worms, beetles, moles, and many other “creepy crawlies” that tend to that soul of the soil. They are the foundation bringing, nutrient giving, natural tillers of the soil that provide for the plants, food, and flowers humans and other animals love to see in the spring.
Most of the time when one thinks of spring time it’s in the form of rainbows, and butterflies, and flowers. Oh my! But in order for rainbows to shine there needs to be rain, in order for the butterflies to flourish there needs to be flowers, and in order for flowers to thrive there needs to be…yup good soil.
A local art group, Boulder Art Association, hosts member shows a couple times a year at the R Gallery in Boulder, CO. In the spring of 2023 the prompt was Spring Showers, Art Flowers. The group supplied the artists with an 8"x8" wood plaque and gave us free rein over the interpretation. I, a wood artist, burned a picture of a dandelion, mushrooms, worm, and bees into the wood. I use an ancient folk art technique called pyrography. The bees were anointed with gold leaf, the grass is depicted by preserved moss (no water necessary, thank you), and the bunny is an embossed copper metal sheet.
The dandelion was chosen as the flower of choice, because they tend to be the first that pop up in the spring time. I know many people view them as nasty weeds, but they really provide a lot for the soil and give food to the pollinators that are just starting their spring adventures. They also help aerate the earth by the way their roots grow in the soil, they reduce erosion, and pull calcium from deep in the soil and makes it more readily available to other plants. They actually fertilize your grass! Plus a field full of yellow is not unsightly.
The bees are having a moment in the spotlight, so save the bees! But there are more than just the bees that pollinate; wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, and yes mosquitos too. Oh how we humans hate them, but the plants and food crops love them. And we humans love food. So maybe before killing that moth or beetle that ends up a little too close to the inside of your territory think about all the flowers and food crops they helped spread their fertileness to before stamping them out. Then feel the guilt build up inside you and let it fester and rue the day you were born! Or just move along with your life, try not to kill the bees though. Remember we must save them. Those mosquitos though…
Moving on to worms, which are slimy and creepy don’t get me wrong. They are just tubes of mucus that crawls. But they burrow which mean aeration, their castings, aka poopies, form soil aggregates, and relieve compaction to make nutrients available to plants. They are beautiful in the use of helping the soil and should be celebrated, mucus and all. Fun fact the mucus actually help them breathe by dissolving the oxygen through their skin, so kind of a necessity.
That brings us to the mushrooms. They are also having their heyday, so let’s celebrate them a bit here too. Mushrooms break down organic material and make the soil more productive. They are the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. They are an indication that there is a lot of organic material in the soil. They also tend to die off quickly, so leave ’em to mother nature and let them do their good work in peace.
The mammal depicted by the bunny can rest peacefully knowing that they will have food and pretty flowers to smell, look at, eat and enjoy helped along by the tireless work these unloved creatures complete. Man in comparison to fungus and worms is debatable and can be a whole other novel. The point is that we are all connected and each organism relies on another in order to do it’s function. Humans’ function has always been subjective, and everyone has their own opinion on what is the point. The fact remains that we would not be thriving if it weren’t for the little creatures that tend to the unsightly happenings beneath our feet. For even if we can design and build man made products to feed, aerate, water, etc. the ideas were sprung from the efforts of these creatures.
In a way soil could be considered a living entity, without these creatures and critters providing pathways to nutrients, aeration, and water the soil can be considered dead. It must be fed and tended to in order for it to do the work from which plants and animals benefit. Which is why composting can be most beneficial, it’s a natural process found not just in gardeners’ backyards. For another time we can discuss one of my favorite topics human composting and natural burials. Only if you are ready to nerd out with me of course.
So tend to the soul and let life flourish.
Thanks for reading this far if you have, I enjoyed writing this and explaining my ideas and I hope you enjoyed the ramblings of an eco geek. If you like this art please consider following me on Instagram or Facebook with the handle burningredpyrography or find my online gallery and shop at www.burningredpyrography.com.
Leave a comment for any reason, but if you have any bug facts related to soil and plants, I love to learn more!
Your science enthusiast that plays with fire, Katie Bowman.
