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Living with nature
By Zahrah Nasir
A gentle drizzle patters on the leaves of fruit trees in the orchard as dawn
turns the sky a watery pink and the sun begins to make its appearance. Birds
sing and rustle in the undergrowth and a nocturnal Flying Squirrel disappears
off to bed after a long night of feasting on the ripening black figs and
brambles which flourish on the perimeter fence of our garden.
As the coffee pot bubbles away on the stove a Yellow Billed Blue Magpie takes a
refreshing bath in one of the earthenware bowls of water I put out for just such
a purpose and a Paradise Fly Catcher swoops and glides before taking a rest on
top of the woodshed from where it surveys our shared domain.
Creating a garden where wildlife, in as many shapes and forms as possible, is
also completely at home is not a task which one can accomplish overnight. Infact
it takes years but looking at the results of over eight long years of planning
and work I can see that the struggle has certainly been worthwhile and, I
sincerely hope, sustainable.
When we first came to live on this Bhurban mountainside the orchard was a
disaster area, the garden completely non-existent and bird life, for example,
limited to a few chirpy Sparrows and noisy Mynahs but how that has changed!
In creating the garden I always made allowances for wildlife by retaining
wildflowers, planting fruit and seed bearing plants which birds adore and
special butterfly and bee attractant perennial flowers and shrubs. Chemicals are
totally banned by the way as these have a negative impact on all forms of life
be it human, animal, vegetable, insect etc. Flowers, fruit, vegetables and herbs
are not organized in separate beds or areas but intermingled with each other, a
method that also assists in diverting pests away from their intended victims.
Why should a caterpillar totally devour the cabbages when it has its much
preferred Sweet Rocket or a patch of nettles to gorge on?
A garden such as this one may look completely disorganized and rather untidy to
someone who prefers a more formal affair and they may not be aware of just how
much ‘hidden’ organization is involved in the sustainable management of a
balanced eco-system such as this. It is not simply a matter of allowing
everything to run riot as this would actually, in many respects, defeat the
objective as some important plants would be smothered by invasive varieties
which may, or may not, act as hosts to a diverse range of wildlife. I think of
the system which I have personally evolved over the years as ‘organised chaos’
as I, at least, know exactly what is where and what I am trying to achieve!
The perimeter fences are a prime example of this; prickly brambles, blackberries
as some people call them or ‘Pakwan’ in the local lingo, run riot over the
fences on two sides of the garden, one of which overlooks the recently
constructed road, the other a footpath and, not only do they help in keeping
Porcupines at bay (these I do not encourage as they make terrible inroads into
the vegetable garden plus eat the bulbs of flowering plants and the roots of my
precious Comfrey), they provide nectar for the bees at the flowering stage,
fruit for Flying Squirrels, birds and also us, if we are lucky, plus keep
intruders, four and two legged totally at bay. The brambles are interspersed
with very thorny roses, wild and cultivated varieties, which again provide
succor for bees and birds and then plump, juicy rose hips for the birds and to
make into delicious syrup, very high in Vitamin C, for winter consumption.
Young, evergreen Cypress trees vie for space with the brambles and roses,
providing privacy for us and ne
sting places for the birds and I plan on introducing Clematis to this living,
growing, boundary.
Some visitors have been quite aghast at how I encourage these plants to grow
‘wild’, though I do give careful attention to seasonal pruning, seemingly of the
opinion that my garden is not as horticulturaly perfect as they imagined it
would be!
I am sorry if they are disappointed but grateful that the variety of bird and
butterfly life has increased tremendously.
On the feathered front, amongst many others, we now have Golden Oriels dropping
in to visit along with Scarlet Minivets, Green Himalayan Finches, Tree Pies, a
pair of which actually spent the winter and became quite tame and extremely
demanding if their food supply wasn’t replenished on time and even a Spotted
Forktail which was well off its usually migratory track.
In the skies above the garden we are visited by shrieking Black Drongos,
predatory Pallid Harriers, Shikras, Siberian Steppe Eagles, Golden Eagles, even
the magnificent Lammergeyer drifts ominously by once in a blue moon !
Butterflies are something which we have taken an increasing interest in and the
Buddleia, or ‘Butterfly Bush’ right outside the backdoor, attracts them, in
season, by the hundreds. A couple of days ago I spotted, for the first time
ever, a new visitor called a Common Map, which, according to the wildlife expert
Mr. Tom Roberts, whose books are always kept handy, is not common at all but
rather rare and more usually found in the lower Murree Hills and Margallas up to
an altitude of 2,000 feet whilst we are at 5,800 feet up here!
Another rarity in the butterfly world, The Glassy Bluebottle, feasts on the
Buddleia each summer along with the more commonly observed Windmills, Peacocks,
Arabs, Tortoiseshells, Tigers, Mormons etc.
The incredible sight of a whizzing ball of swarming bees when they arrive from
the Plains during early spring for their summer sojourn, is really spectacular
although not all of the indigenous bees follow a migratory pattern. These hard
working honey bees arrive just in time to pollinate the apple, apricot, plum,
peach and almond trees and then hang around to enjoy plants such as Larkspur,
Honey Wort and, one of their all time favourites, Hollyhocks, during late
spring, followed by Sunflowers, Dahlias and an assortment of other flowers right
through the summer into autumn, only leaving when the first snow falls which is
often not until January.
Discounting the annual problem of Swallows determined to nest on the mantle
piece in the living room, I have to say that living so close to nature is a
wonderful, ever changing experience and one that I would highly recommend so,
all you gardeners out there, take a look at what you are creating and issue an
open invitation to wildlife asking them to drop in.
Ends
Pic caps:
1. A rare Glassy Bluebottle. (IMPORTANT PIC)
2. The ‘wild’ boundary fence.
3. ‘Organised chaos’.
4. A Tree Pie waits for breakfast.
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