Desire Trails: From Leaf to Soil

 

 

I am fascinated by the patterns that the larvae of leaf and twig mining moths leave on arbutus leaves. I love the description of these trails in this PacificNorthwest Pest Management Handbook: “sinuous, serpentine mines”. There are two species mentioned: Madrone shield bearer (Coptodisca arbutiella) and Serpentine leafminer (Marmara arbutiella). These tiny moths must be some of the ones we see shimmering in the coastal forests around Nanaimo. They do not harm the tree, so no treatment is needed-- just adoration and appreciation for them as part of our richly biodiverse habitat. I am inspired to make some textile pieces inspired by these insects, stitching trails into leaf-shaped pieces of fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The arbutus trees are blooming right now and they are very important for BC native bees at this time of the year. The exact species are hard to study without a cherry picker, but I do see bumble bees in the blossoms for sure. The pollinated blossoms are starting to fall from the trees and they lay on the ground like soft herbaceous barnacles. They will become compost at the base of the tree.

 

 

 

As we eat our way through life, we also create desire trails on the landscape. Our desire trails are not so benign. I listened to an amazing podcast on the science and cultural history of soil on the Emergence Magazine podcast: Dwelling on Earth by Jay Griffiths. The author describes the history of civilizations that fell because they depleted the local soil to feed their populations. And that made it clear to me—in order to save the bees, we need to save the soil. They rely on the plants that grow in it, and over 70 per cent of bees nest in soil. We have to learn how to protect the health and biodiversity of soil. There isn’t just one type of “ideal” soil as the European gardening model would have us believe. Native soil is the best soil for native plants and native plants are the best sustenance for native bees. What is your relationship to the soil? Are you a soil taker or a soil maker? What impact do your desire trails have on the soil? 

Where are your desire trails leading you?