Letters: November/December 2022

The article “Make Meadows not Lawns” (September/October 2022) describes stinzen flower gardening using plants from bulbs whose origins trace back to Mediterranean and central European regions and are often referred to as vintage bulbs.

 

Now I am not a gardener, but I am a naturalist. To suggest that planting European species is a way of naturalizing our environment falls very short at best. There is an important movement in ecological landscaping that is being adopted by parks, by homeowners, and other landowners who realize that we have impoverished our native landscapes by planting lawns and non-native plant species that have little if any ecological value. Instead, they emphasize planting native species appropriate to the region and which fill valuable niches in natural food webs.

 

This is not to imply that there is no place for ornamental plantings. But let’s not pretend that they are naturalizing our outdoor spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

While my family did not participate in the hide and seek painted rock adventure mentioned in your article (“Painted Rocks, Little Treasures” July/August 2022 issue), I was taken back to the early 2000s when we had a seasonal site at Holiday Hill Campground. My three kids and I spent some time exploring Canadice Lake and found a wonderful little spot that we ended up calling “Flat Rock Beach.” It appeared to be at the bottom of a lovely stream that flowed from the hills east of the lake. The rocks were perfectly smooth for painting. Forward a few years when we owned a cottage on Honeoye Lake – we still visited that same spot-on Canadice Lake to collect flat rocks for painting. We’d pick out three or four each and then take them back to the cottage to be embellished with sea creatures, wildlife, and remembrances of favorite pets. I will never forget those beautiful memories of painted rocks.

 

 

 

I just finished the July/August 2022 issue. I like to take my time to read it as one would sip a fine wine. And then in a few weeks I’ll go through it again. I always pick up on

things I missed the first time.

 

This issue was packed with interesting stuff. I always learn so much even for someone who crisscrossed the Finger Lakes doing countless news and feature stories for almost 40 years. Bravo!