Abundant Design, LLC provides Des Moines and Central Iowa with Edible & Sustainable Landscaping, Regenerative Land Use Consulting, Permaculture Design and Installation services.
Our Mission:
Our Mission: To enable individuals and communities to take an active part in the cultivation of systems that provide the highest quality fruits, vegetables, herbs and other yields, in a way that benefits themselves, cares for the land and environment, and provides a surplus to use, share and reinvest into the system.
Well, my tomatoes went in the ground a little too early this year. I did not expect these last couple nights of frost. I have some back up plants in reserve though so we should be ok.
My tomatoes weren't only things to take a hit this week. I caught a bug and it put me out for several days. So instead of a typical blog update, I will link to my YouTube channel and you can catch up on anything you may have missed this last year or so.
share any other events you know of in the comments below or on Facebook.
Do you have an activity planned? There will be lots of things shared on social media and elsewhere on what you can do to save the Earth. What are the main parts of the Earth that life balances on?
Water. Air. Land. Life.
This week I will give you just a few hints for each, and I hope you will be inspired to do a few of them and increase your awareness of how we impact our environment.
Water - the most necessary nutrient we need.
A human will die in ~3 days without water. Drinking or using contaminated water for food preparation is a leading cause of death in much of the world. Excessive nutrient pollution and other human activities have caused massive dead zones in our oceans. The news of the ongoing drought in California will have major agricultural effects and impact the prices of much of our produce. What can we do?
Fix leaky faucets, shorter showers, turn off the water when brushing teeth, and more...
Air - Try breathing without air, hard isn't it?
Poor air quality can aggravate or even cause a number of respiratory and other health issues.
What can we do?
Keep Tires properly inflated to avoid wasting gas and reduce your emissions
Plant trees and windbreaks to slow airflow enough to drop dusts and dirt
Indoor plants can help clean pollutants from the air inside your home
Do not burn your trash, or sort out the most pollution causing items
Land - Where will our food grow without the land?
Topsoil is probably our nations biggest export, nearly a billion tons every year. If we figure topsoil from material suppliers run about $40-50, that is a serious economic problem. What can we do?
Life - we are all in this together!
Anything you do to improve the quality of our environment will pay dividends all around. We are a part of this intricate web of life; from the rolly-polly under your "Welcome" mat, to the Turkey Vultures returning for Summer, and the ancient burr oak who watches with pleasure the white-tailed buck that is beginning to grow his yearly rack. What can we do?
Go for a hike and take in all that there is to see
I hope you have a great week, celebrate Earth Day and take a few of these things and look to see how you can make a positive impact on our world! The ripple effect of your actions can make an even bigger impact in your life, your neighbors and your surroundings.
A couple weeks ago I shared the plight of the Monarch. They are in trouble, but other pollinator species are too. Honeybee population and health troubles have been making the news and our native pollinators are also facing many challenges. 30% of our 45 species of native bumble bees are at risk of extinction. These losses can also have serious implications for our agriculture systems (=our food).
This week I had the chance to visit with Jessie Lowry, Conservation Manager at the Blank Park Zoo here in Des Moines. She has been at our local zoo for ten years, has a passion for conservation and manages the Plant.Grow.Fly. program. She says one of the challenges of promoting conservation of more visible species, like African Elephants or Rhinos, is that there is little we can do personally other than send money. The Plant.Grow.Fly. program was formed with that in mind, something we can actually DO right here at our own homes.
These pollinator gardens can be tailored to any space and budget. Requirements for registration with the Plant.Grow.Fly. program are one host plant and one nectar plant. Lowry says these requirements really encourage everyone to take part. You can register a couple container plants on an apartment balcony, a large decorative suburban landscape, or full scale prairie restoration project*.
Other beneficial features and practices you may implement include-
Abundant Design is excited to be a part of this great Midwestern pollinator program, and share in its goals of growing habitat to conserve these important parts of our ecosystems. We can provide a host and nectar plant installation that qualifies for registration with Plant.Grow.Fly. For this program, registration will be done by you. It is simple, online (or by mail if you prefer) and will allow you to have a hands-on part your garden project and recognition.
Enjoy this amazing video clip from "Wings of Life" narrated by Meryl Streep.
I remember smaller "flocks" of monarchs like this as a boy in the oak timber around my parents home. I have not seen anything close in a long time...
This week I had the pleasure of visiting with "Chip" Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. Dr. Taylor has been at the forefront of education and outreach, and more recently, a champion of conservation. A honeybee expert and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, Dr. Taylor founded Monarch Watch for research and to teach people about Monarch butterflies thinking if we know them we will save them.
"In the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum, Sengalese poet and naturalist
The current state of affairs has moved Monarch Watch to a more active conservation role.
Although Monarchs can occasionally experience periodic population crashes of up to 80%, due to poor breeding conditions or harsh weather in overwintering areas, they can rebound with favorable conditions the following year or two. However, populations have been in overall decline the 20 years for a variety of reasons.
Herbicide tolerant plants have led to cleaner fields and surrounding areas. Much of the monarchs host plant, milkweed which is highly sensitive to glyphosate, was eliminated.
With high commodity prices, due in part to the ethanol mandate, 24 Million acres of grass, range and shrub lands (habitat) were converted to crop production from 2008-2012.
Over 2 million acres of land are lost annually to urban/suburban sprawl - as much as 500,000 acres in the monarch summer breeding areas.
Roadside Management practices using herbicides and frequent mowing encourages the formation of grasslands to the detriment of many species of wildlife food and shelter.
Unfortunately, the population has been critically low for the last three years, and an 80% population crash now would be DEVASTATING.
What can we do? We live in Iowa, the Corn Belt. Well, that's the good news! We are right in the heart of the Monarchs Summer breeding grounds.
Planting milkweed in our landscapes can have a direct effect helping Monarchs. Monarch butteflies lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweeds. Planting nectar plants, especially wild flowers, will give monarchs the food they need to prepare for their Fall migration. Nectar plants will help all our pollinators; butterflies, hummingbirds, even bats and bees. Bees, both native and honeybees, are also experiencing stress.
City and suburban residents are starting, but even more is needed to compensate for the loss of habitat. Rural areas are in real need of regenerative milkweed/pollinator habitat. These plantings provide places for Monarchs to leapfrog across wide areas. The new Farm Bill, through the USDA, provides incentives for the establishment of pollinator habitat. Installation costs can be reimbursed up to 50% for CRP, or 75% for EQIP acres. See the following fact sheet for more information:
Abundant Design is proud to be working with Monarch Watch and can provide a wildflower & milkweed installation that qualifies for designation as an International Monarch Waystation. We can even register it for you and install a weatherproof sign that highlights your conservation efforts and educates your neighbors. Contact us for an estimate and watch for more details in the products and services page.
Be watching for more on this topic, and another special announcement.
If you are a Do-It-Yourselfer I encourage you to go to MonarchWatch.org, PlantGrowFly.org or follow the links for resources to install your own Monarch habitat!
This week I had the pleasure of visiting with "Chip" Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas. Dr. Taylor has been at the forefront of education and outreach, and more recently, a champion of conservation. A honeybee expert and professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, Dr. Taylor founded Monarch Watch for research and to teach people about Monarch butterflies thinking if we know them we will save them.
Abundant Design is proud to be working with Monarch Watch and can provide a wildflower & milkweed installation that qualifies for designation as an International Monarch Waystation. We can even register it for you and install a weatherproof sign that highlights your conservation efforts and educates your neighbors. Contact us for an estimate and watch for more details in the products and services page. 