I haven’t seen them like this since 2012. My girls said it was like this last year while we were living down south. Plagues of grasshoppers, every shape, size, species, menacingly taking everything to the ground. Hundreds of dollars of medicinal herbs and plants gone. Every day that I go out to water, there is less and less to care for. Heartbreaking.

Yet, I water anyway. Because the roots may be fighting. Tiny shoots try to spring up. Some plants are taking the invasion better than others. We will not give up, the plants and I.

When plants are attacked, they send out signals through mycelium and through the air for help. These signals attract the predators of the pests. The taste of the plant becomes very bitter when they are under duress to try and dissuade the attacker from eating them.

I look around and wonder why some places have minimal damage and some areas, like mine, seem to be dead zones. I watch as my neighbors spray weed killer all over their yards. This side of me, that side of me, across the street. Do they not realize that spraying poison kills much more than the weeds?

As I stare out across the expanse of spectacular mountains that we are nestled beneath, I also notice the lack of water. There is water in Oak creek down the way, but I believe bringing water to my land will increase biodiversity. That is the key to success. I am going to pull out all the Permaculture principals I learned years and years ago. I will listen to nature herself. I will try and create an oasis on 1/16th of an acre and heal my own section of the world.

Will it make a difference? We shall see. I think it will. I will share with you along the way my journey to restoring the land. Perhaps we can learn from each other! Feel free to make comments and share ideas. Together we can restore this beautiful planet one yard at a time.