Our family tends toward superhuman undertakings. One such project was a 3,000 sq ft garden created from scratch on some pretty rough land. We employed permaculture techniques, introduced beneficial nematodes, and produced our own organic fertilizers. Lasagna, no-till, deep mulch, cedar beds, waffle grids, sculpted berms, and hügelkultur…we tried them all. The weather took drastic swings every season and kept us scrambling to adapt. It took years and years to create a manageable system for sowing and harvest and lots of patience and mistakes to get a balanced ecosystem.

Eventually, we were growing grapes, cukes, tomatoes, melons, potatoes, salad greens, beans, berries, root veggies, and squash all in harmony. About 1/3 of the garden consisted of blooming flowers and herbs and we weren’t the only ones enjoying the abundance. Each season brought pollinators in all colors, shapes and sizes. Several different species of bees, moths, flies, and butterflies…and many other fringe pollinators diligently carried out their side of our unspoken partnership.

One summer our eldest daughter patiently held a poster board backdrop up for me so I could snap some pictures without disturbing their very important work. We built a catalog of the new species we encountered, looked up their habitats, migration patterns, and food sources…and loved every minute of it. Those carefully curated photos have become the Plethora of Pollinators Collection

….and some of our favorite memories.