California Gardens of Earthly Delights

Re Don Kephart’s Aug. 23 letter lamenting the lack of songbirds, bees and insects in his Woodland Hills garden, I’m happy to report that the opposite is true in our Sherman Oaks yard. Over the past four years we stripped the land of ivy and oleander bushes, and with help from native-plant nurseries and the California Native Plant Society, we relandscaped with plants native to the Santa Monica Mountains. The bees buzz around the native penstemons and sages all day; the birds flock to the recirculating birdbath whenever they’re not eating insects or seeds from flowers that have not been maniacally dead-headed; and the mockingbirds jealously guard the grapevine and mahonia berries. The insect diversity is incredible; we released 25 monarch butterflies recently, thanks to the native milkweed we planted--the only food plant their caterpillars eat. (We’ve documented more of our experiences at www.wildscaping.com, with links to helpful organizations.)

Avoiding poison is one important step, but you have to be proactive if you really want a wildlife habitat. So long as gardeners continue to cultivate chemical wastelands of grass that provide no food or shelter and plant hedges of oleander (which have no wildlife value and are also toxic), the birds and the bees will go elsewhere.

Trish Meyer

Sherman Oaks

Kephart must live in another part of Woodland Hills than I do, as I awaken every morning to birds singing in my backyard. They beat an alarm clock by far. As to spiders, I am constantly trying to get rid of the webs they weave everywhere. Just about everyday, as I am doing my laps, I rescue bees that have flown into the pool. They must be thanking me, as I have never had a more prolific crop of fruit--including apricots, plums and two kinds of peaches. My citrus trees are loaded with oranges, lemons, grapefruit, tangelos and limes. I should have a great crop by Christmas. As to the aphids, moths and beetles, I really don’t miss them. I do not use pesticides, so I guess you could consider my fruit organic.

Marilynn Dierker

Woodland Hills