Grinning and greening: Planting
as you go
The first time that I drove
through the prairies was in January, in the middle of a violent snowstorm, on a
very dark, cold and windy night. Icy snow swirled across the acres and acres of
wheat fields that we passed, as we drove down the long, lonely highway. For
miles, there was absolutely no sign of a light, a house or to my amazement,
even a single tree. As daylight broke, we could see small shrubs here and
there, but still no sign of any trees to speak of, along the highway.
My initial reaction was a
question. "Why doesn't somebody plant some trees along the highway?"
Plant trees along the highway?
On that distance of highway, it would be a major project! But, it might not be
impossible.
Think about this for a moment.
Years ago, Johnny Appleseed
must have been chuckling, as he walked along, planting apple seeds mile after
mile, all across the country. What a legacy he left for America
He was grinning and greening,
although he might not have used that particular terminology for what he was
attempting to accomplish. Imagine his delight, when he heard reports of apple
trees sprouting and apple orchards in blossom, at a later date.
If one thinks seriously about
the number of seeds that we have access to, in our world today, it would appear
that there is no reason why there could not be more trees, shrubs and plants,
along each one of our prairie highways, roadways or pathways in North America .
Some one would have to make an
effort to plant the seeds. Of course, some seeds that were planted would thrive
and some would not grow, depending on the environment and nature.
Thousands of seeds grow in our
immediate environment no matter where we live, but we do not see them or pay
any attention to them. We may not even be aware of the inherent potential lying
dormant within each one of those seeds.
Take a look at all of the seeds
that come from only one maple tree or one lilac bush. Look at the thousands of
seeds on evergreen trees. How many apple seeds, pear seeds and plum pits do we
just throw away?
How many seeds can one find on flowering shrubs?
We tend to think that what we
have to plant is seedlings or baby trees, shrubs and plants, when what we could
be doing is dropping seeds along the way, everywhere we go in our travels and
then letting nature do its own thing.
Planting as you go sounds like
a good idea. Anyone could do that, even you.
Think seriously about it, as
you and your family might enjoy trying this grinning and greening project, just
for fun.
Collect seeds from trees,
shrubs and plants that you see growing in your own yard or the area in which
you live, as you are out and about. When you are traveling this summer, drop
those seeds somewhere along the way, wherever you happen to be.
Now you are grinning and
greening, at the same time.
You can easily let the seeds
fly in the wind, wherever you go or when you stop somewhere, drop the seeds
into areas that are low lying or moist, like streams or swamps. You don't need
to do anything else. Just move along in your travels and chuckle knowing that
you are doing something good for others and for the environment.
Who knows what you will find
the next time you travel that way?
Grinning and greening can be
fun. Planting as you go can bring about new life everywhere. After all,
planting is a metaphor for life.
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