I realized something about permaculture. It is the same insanity in a new deceptive clothing.
every permaculture manual I have read promotes bringing together useful plants from all over the world to create a food garden for humans and their domestic animals.

The main problem with this is it introduces new alien (possibly invasive) plants into the ecosystem. It robs the native insects, birds and butterflies for food. It creates a sterile landscape.

I am sure when the developer of Western permaculture looked on the native homegarden of various indigenous people, particularly Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, they thought they could do better.

They probably thought they could do better by not being limiting the permaculture garden to indigenous plants like the original homegardens. Westerners utilize the vast globalness of trade and capitalism to bring together plants form all over the world. And therein lies the problem.

Gathering together from all over the world doesn't create a working ecosystem. It creates a mish-mash. Plants form Korea, South Africa, and Mexico probably can not be eaten by indigenous insects. The insects can not be eaten by the birds, and animals population are starved.

Don't believe me? Douglas Tallamy explains the connection between indigenous insects and plants in Bringing Nature Home.

I suspect if I point this out to permaculture advocates I would meet with resistance and negativity. I just hope they would think about it.

speckled mourning dove

speckled mourning dove, originally uploaded by donnallong.

This speckled Morning Dove sits on the raised vegetable bed in the garden. At first I thought it was diseased or had bald spots.

I have never seen a speckled Mourning Dove before. It is speckled all over.

leaf in the snow

leaf in the snow, originally uploaded by donnallong.

This photo is part of my ongoing series of seeing beauty of at my feet.

It is the juxtaposition of textures pleases me.

The icy crunchiness of the snow, the dry crack-liness of the leaf and the soft mushiness of the dark shriveled leaf is fascinating in its quiet presence.