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Orchard Street Pocket Prairie:
Invitation to Optimism
Yvonne Meyer
Even as a child, nature was always my happy place. I grew up on a family farm and Molly the 3-legged farm cat and I would go down to the creek and sit on the exposed roots of a cottonwood tree and just be quiet. Nature is still where I go to find stillness, connection and beauty.
I am a photography teacher in the art department at Lincoln High School. Nurturing and empowering students is my primary purpose in life and I love them. Teaching through the pandemic and its aftermath of widespread student disengagement and disconnection has felt futile at times. No amount of effort or enthusiasm on my part seemed to impact the outcomes for many of my students. They were broken and so was I. I needed to reclaim optimism.
I have always gardened for food and bouquets to share, but gardening with nature in mind is relatively new for me. During the pandemic when cities closed down, we saw how resilient and quickly nature reclaimed spaces. This fascinated me and I pursued stories of regenerative farming and people working in reciprocity with the land. During this quest, I found the work of Benjamin Vogt and Doug Tallamy and my paradigm shifted. Even in the context of global environmental degradation, one can feel hope. There is meaningful action to be taken and we can all do it.
Orchard Street Pocket Prairie was born out of a desire to restore the little bit of land I manage to habitat and to create a soulful space for people to linger in a patch of urban nature. For the past couple of years, I have been replacing the lawn with native host plants, rain gardens, berms and converting my easements into pollinator gardens and pocket prairies. I am astounded at how quickly the insects and birds have returned. I am delighted when I find passersby in standing meditation with a patch of milkweed. How lovely that this is possible here and now. There is a growing community and resources available to support the work. I will share some of my lessons I have learned along the way.. The story I want to share is that if you are game to try, nature is a generous partner. Heaven is in a wild flower and you can hold infinity in the palm of your hand.
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