Patchwork Ecosystem

A close-up of moss on a maple tree.

A second close-up of moss on a bigleaf maple.

Spores on the underside of a sword fern along the trail, with a blurry, sunny forest and black dog in the background.

Taking time to notice your surroundings, to look closely at the world that surrounds you, is one of the best ways I've found to cultivate curiosity and reconnect to wonder. ✨

#westcoast #macro #temperate #rainforest

Let your garden grow wild Many gardeners work hard to maintain clean, tidy environments ... which is the exact opposite of what wildlife wants, says ecological horticulturist Rebecca McMackin. She shows the beauty of letting y...

Brilliant TED Talk by Rebecca McMackin from 2023 on gardening and park design for both biodiversity and wild beauty. ✨

www.ted.com/talks/rebecc...

Whoops! Thanks for the correction, gang.

Article by @nanaimonewsnow.bsky.social covering the pushback against the massive "Option A" facility:

www.nanaimobulletin.com/local-news/c...

Happy belated Earth Day, everyone.

This is Loudon Park in #Nanaimo BC, and we're encouraging the @cityofnanaimo.bsky.social reconsider their plan to cut down these beautiful ~80 year old fir trees.

Peaceful protest video found here:
youtu.be/vW-YKZKGGTs

#saveloudonpark

@louisjames.bsky.social

Four climate solutions with surprising benefits for biodiversity and human well-being There are a few things that are non-negotiable for all life on Earth, among them, water, food, and shelter. Unfortunately, human activities are driving widespread habitat loss and degradation, destroy...

Wow, these four simple climate solutions also have tremendous benefits to biodiversity and human well-being.

drawdown.org/insights/fou...

From Nanaimo Food Hub:

“The #Nanaimo Food Hub is hosting work parties at 3460 Jinglepot road every Friday from 3:30-5:30. Today we will build beds and plant favas beans! :) message the onsite farmer Rhianna with any questions 778.677.0076
#foodsovereignty” #LocalFood #VanIsle

Also, thank you to the @cityofnanaimo.bsky.social for providing the loan of equipment and collection of the plant materials!

A roughly 2m high pile of English Ivy, English Holly, and Daphne pulled at the entrance to the dog loop at Colliery dam.

A second pile, also roughly 2m tall, of pruned Holly branches and logs heaped and ready for pickup.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out for the invasive species cleanup this past Saturday!

We got two massive piles of Ivy, Daphne, and an entire Holly tree off the land, making more room for the native understory to establish and thrive. ✨

@nanaimoclimatehub.bsky.social , @nanaimolocal.bsky.social @louisjames.bsky.social , @viuniversity.bsky.social

Tomorrow morning! 10am at the Colliery Dam Off-Leash Dog Loop in #Nanaimo !
.
We'll have a few pairs of gloves and pruning tools to borrow, but kindly bring your own if you have them. ❤️

Our #landscapedesign aims to sequester carbon and mitigate some of the localized effects of #climatechange for residents, but we know that #resilience alone is NOT "the answer" — it's a way to buy more time for our societies to collectively #decarbonize.

We can't adapt to extreme climate change.

Thanks to @cityofnanaimo.bsky.social for supplying us with tools, and the @viuniversity.bsky.social EcoClub, @nanaimoclimatehub.bsky.social and @strongtowns.org #Nanaimo chapter for their support!

Hope to see you there! (2/2)

Image of a well-known spot in Colliery Dam, Nanaimo. A recovering West Coast forest, with trees covered in moss, scattered ferns and understory plants, and a large boulder carpeted in green. Text overlaid says, "Invasive Species Cleanup, Volunteers Wanted! Join us at Colliery Dam Park (Off-Leash Dog Loop) March 22nd, 10am-1pm

Photo of invasive Daphne (Daphne laureola).

Photo of invasive English Holly (Ilex aquifolium).

Photo of invasive English Ivy (Hedera helix) climbing a small tree. A caption reads, "Bring your gloves and lend a hand if you're able!)

📣 Calling volunteers in #Nanaimo, BC!

Sat, Mar 22, 10am-1pm @ Colliery Dam Dog Park for an #invasivespecies removal work round.

Bring work gloves if able - limited gear will be available to borrow. (1/2)

From #Qualicum Beach (year-round!) #FarmersMarket:

“The Qualicum Beach Farmers Market has been growing our community for 28 years.

All items at our farmers market are 100% made, baked, or grown on Vancouver Island. We require that the vendor you meet at the market, be the…

🎉 Excited to announce that Zack Simon, founder of Patchwork Ecosystem, has joined the board of the NCAH: @nanaimoclimatehub.bsky.social 🎉

Here's to working for greater climate resilience and grassroots action here in #Nanaimo #BC.

Hi Folks,

I made a starter pack for people who like to grow food in tune with nature.

Please share, and let me know if you would like to be added or removed 🌱

#regenerativeagriculture #permaculture #foodforest #agroforestry #nativeplants #fruittree #homestead #berries #soil

go.bsky.app/QJ7Vpu2

Thank you so much! Excited to be here, doing the work, and meeting other folks with similar values. ✨

Oops, link: bsky.app/starter-pack...

I started a Regenerative Design/Permaculture pack, so I can more easily find others working in this realm. If you're doing work in this realm of permaculture, regenerative design, whole systems design, system thinking, etc, please let me know!

Hi, folks. :)
PNW designer here, bringing permaculture thinking and supporting native biodiversity in (mainly) urban landscapes.

Indigenous tribes engineered British Columbia’s modern hazelnut forests more than 7000 years ago Genetic analysis of hazelnut trees could help First Nations secure land rights in Canadian courts

Beautifully succinct @science.org #article by Sierra Bouchér showing one small slice of the incredible influence #FirstNations peoples have had in guiding regional #biology & #agriculture since time immemorial.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Gulf of Mexico - Wikipedia

Go to Google
Search "Gulf of Mexico"
Click the 3 little dots next to "Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)"
Choose "Send feedback"
Click "Gulf of America"
Click "Inaccurate content"
Click "Incorrect"
Tell Google the correct name
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of...

Also happy with Ecosia, and have been using Firefox as a mainstay for over a decade with nothing but positive reviews.

Make healthier landscaping decisions. Plant a Native Plant. Remove an Exotic Invasive Plant. Save the planet one backyard at a time. #nativeplants #invasivespecies #dougtallamy

The finished design for a property near Nanaimo, BC. The main house has orchard trees along the southern edge, followed by a field of native wildflowers, raised garden beds, and mixed native shrubs, most of which producing berries. To the east and northeast of the house, desirable views are maintained and cold winter winds partially blocked with a series of native evergreen shrubs. Mort berry bushes to the north of the house, along with a new 3-bin composting system, and food and visual screening plants installed all along the border facing the road, bringing seasonal forage and year-round privacy where it's needed. Between all these features, a new set of paths has been created with two sets of stone stairs, guiding the clients and their guests around the land.

The "before" illustration of the design site. A main house is surrounded mostly by turf grass, with trees along the road and near the southern tip of the site. A septic field sits in the middle of the largest patch of turf, and a tiny home is nestled in the southern corner.

A copy of the previous "before" illustration, this time highlighting areas to the east and northeast where desirable views have been marked as golden rays coming from the house. Along the road, the entire border has been marked with a rosy band, indicating where additional visual privacy screening is desires.

Design Showcase

This was a #landscape-design from 2024, and the one that earned us our #permaculture certification.

The clients had an exposed site, mostly turf, and wanted a more naturalist, cottage garden aesthetic. We recommended a small #orchard bolstered by #native #berries and #wildflowers.

Did I just see the best SuperBowl ad, ever?

✅ Sells nothing
✅ Long-term thinking
✅ Backed by science
✅ Focuses on empathy
✅ Helps people & planet

👉 sciencemoms.com | @katharinehayhoe.com
#climatechange #environment

After image of a series of border garden beds planted with a range of West Coast native species, including Saskatoon, Red-flowering Currant, Oval-leaf Blueberry, Evergreen Huckleberry, Blackcap Raspberry, Coastal Strawberry, Kinnikinnick, and native wildflowers such as Camas, Canada Goldenrod, and Common Yarrow.

Before image of the same garden beds, with only a few sparse exotic trees and decorative rocks along the edges. Two pale beams from the house identify ocean views, intended to be maintained with the subsequent design.

A close-up of one corner of the garden beds, showing a myriad of native berry shrubs, wildflowers, and ferns.

A second close-up image showing more of the diversity of plantings established on site, including a large Saskatoon shrub at the entrance of the yard, ground-covers of strawberries, kinnikinnick, and native wildflowers, and multiple other species of native berry-producing shrubs.

Design Showcase

The client needed a border bed revamp after discovering how existing plants were #toxic for their #dogs.

We filled the space with #Saskatoon, Oval-leaf #Blueberry, Evergreen #Huckleberry, Coastal #Strawberry, #Kinnikinnick, Blackcap #Raspberry, #ferns, and #native #wildflowers. ♥

Grayscale image of a sparsely planted turf and young tree park, an L-shaped bed of roses in one corner and an exposes bus stop along the upper edge.

After image of the same park, now planted with clusters of Beaked Hazelnut, Oval-leaf Blueberry, Evergreen Huckleberry, Oregon-grape, Rosemary, Woodland Strawberry, and Licorice Fern. A paved meeting circle sits at the center of the park, with paths bridging the gap along the middle.

Design Showcase

"Blackwood Commons" was a 2021 #concept #design for a #park in #victoria #bc responding to the sudden need for more beautiful public meeting spaces.

The project never broke ground, but received praise from collaborators, neighbours and city staffers. It's one we're still proud of.