Let Your Garden Grow Wild | Rebecca McMackin | TED

翻译人员: Mindy Liu 校对人员: Lening Xu

So full disclosure,

坦白来说，

I am the nerdiest gardener you are ever going to meet.

我是你们见过的最书呆子的园丁。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Technically, I'm an ecological horticulturalist,

严格来说，我是一名生态园艺家。

which is a fancy way of saying that I design and manage gardens

这个称呼与我的工作内容更贴切。

我设计、管理华美的花园，

that are extravagantly beautiful

while also providing habitat for plant populations,

同时也为植物种群、野生动物群落，

wildlife communities and even soil organisms.

甚至还为土壤生物群提供栖息地。

你可能想问，

And you might wonder, isn't that what all gardeners do?

不是所有园丁都这样做吗？

Unfortunately, no.

很不幸，不是。

The vast majority of gardens are ecological deserts, and in fact,

绝大多数花园都是生态沙漠。

事实上，

an incredible amount of environmental damage has been done

他们以打造漂亮花园的名义，

in the name of making pretty gardens.

对环境造成了难以置信的破坏。

In the US alone,

单单美国，每年就向草坪和花园倾倒

we dump over 100 million pounds of insecticides,

超过 1 亿磅的杀虫剂、 除草剂和合成肥料。

herbicides and synthetic fertilizers on our lawns and gardens every year.

There just isn't a garden pretty enough to be worth all of that,

任何花园的美都不足以抵消环境的牺牲。

并且现实是，这些伤害完全没有必要。

and the reality is that it's completely unnecessary.

Gardens and landscapes that are absolutely gorgeous

绚丽多彩、充满生机的花园和景观

can also help the world around us.

也可以有益于世界。

They can provide food, water,and shelter to wildlife.

它们可以为野生动物提供 食物、水和庇护所。

Gardens can and have brought back plants and animals from the brink of extinction.

花园能够且成功复苏了一些濒危动植物。

There is a movement happening all over the globe.

全球各地正在发生一场运动。

Gardeners, garden designers, landscape architects,

园丁、园林设计师、景观设计师，

even entire cities are finding ways to beautify our environment

甚至整个城市，

都在想办法美化环境，

while making space for the animals we share this land with.

同时为与我们同生共存的动物腾出空间。

I've seen biodiversity return to one of the toughest places to live

我看到了生物多样性的回归，

回归到世界上最难存活的地方之一——

on the entire planet:

the middle of New York City,

纽约市中心。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

where I cared for, designed

我在那里照料、设计、

and helped build public parks and gardens.

协助建造了公园和花园。

(Applause)

（掌声）

At Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I was director of horticulture,

在我担任园艺总监， 建造布鲁克林大桥公园时，

we took these massive derelict shipping piers out over the water

我们拆除了连接布鲁克林 和曼哈顿的废弃大型航运码头，

between Brooklyn and Manhattan

改为占地 85 英亩的后工业化公园。

and turned them into an 85-acre post-industrial public park.

(Applause)

（掌声）

它由MVVA设计，花费了十余年建成。

It was designed by MVVA and built out over a decade.

And it's hard to imagine now,

现在很难想象，

but this lush landscape was built on parched concrete.

这片郁郁葱葱的景观建于 寸草不生的混凝土之上。

This is about as appealing to wildlife as a parking lot.

原本，它对野生动物的吸引力 与停车场相差无几。

And yet, just a few years after construction,

但仅在完工几年后，

we welcomed migratory birds,

我们迎来了候鸟、珍稀昆虫、 和成群结队的蝴蝶，

rare insects and clouds of butterflies,

all among millions and millions of park visitors.

穿梭在千千万万的游客中。

When people go to Brooklyn Bridge Park,

人们去布鲁克林大桥公园时，

they're usually there to play basketball or have a picnic.

通常会打打篮球或野餐一顿。

They have no idea that they're walking through a monarch habitat

他们不知道自己正穿行在 黑脉金斑蝶的栖息地，

or a firefly sanctuary.

或是萤火虫保护区。

It just reads as a beautiful park with lots of butterflies

它就像一个美丽的公园， 有数不清的蝴蝶，

and magical evenings.

还有奇妙的夜晚。

And if we can do that in the middle of New York City,

如果我们能在纽约市中心，

amidst all that traffic and concrete,

在车水马龙和水泥丛林中做到这一点，

you can do it anywhere.

那你也能在任何地方做到。

Indeed, we must incorporate habitat everywhere immediately,

事实上，我们的当务之急是要 与各种栖息地融合交汇，

especially in our cities.

尤其是在城市中。

We are facing a biodiversity crisis of catastrophic proportions.

我们正面临着灾难般的生物多样性危机。

We're changing the planet so quickly that plants and animals cannot keep up.

动植物跟不上我们改变地球的脚步。

You may have heard of the insect apocalypse,

你可能听说过昆虫启示录。

and unfortunately it is just as terrifying as it sounds.

不幸的是，现实和传闻一样可怕。

We have lost nearly half of insects on planet Earth

从我小时候起，地球上就有 将近一半的昆虫灭绝了。

just since I was a little kid.

Now, you might not like bugs,

你也许不喜欢虫子，

but they are still keeping you alive.

它们却在维持你的生命。

One in every three bites of food that you eat

你每三口食物中

就有一口直接来源于昆虫授粉。

is the direct result of insect pollination.

And this isn't just a problem for humanity.

这不仅仅是人类的问题，

Where we have the data,

在有数据可查的地方， 我们已经失去了 25% 的鸟类。

we've lost a quarter of our birds.

In North America, it's 29 percent.

在北美，这一比例为 29％ 。

Most of these birds feed their babies exclusively on insects.

大多数消失的鸟类只以昆虫为食。

So it's not just climate change that we need to solve right now.

因此，亟待解决的不仅是气候变化，

There is some existential multitasking required of us.

还有多重现实问题需要处理。

Thank goodness that there are solutions

谢天谢地，我们想出了解决方案。

很多方案都实实在在地与种花有关。

and many of them literally involve planting flowers.

So let's talk about gardening for biodiversity,

那么让我们来谈谈： 什么园艺能丰富生物多样性。

because while you might not be a gardener,

你可能不是园丁，

I am still going to ask you to get your hands dirty.

但我还是会要求你亲手侍弄泥土。

All it takes is a pot on your stoop to have a positive effect.

一个门廊上的花盆就能起到积极作用。

The first thing we should all be doing are planting plants

我们首先要做的是种植当地的植物。

that are from the places where we're gardening.

We call them native plants,

我们称之为本土植物。

and they're important because they evolved alongside of the wildlife there.

它们的重要性来自 与当地的野生动物共同进化的过程。

Plants and animals often form relationships

动植物常常相生相伴，甚至相依相存。

and even dependencies on each other.

For example,

例如，

the eastern red columbine

据证实，加拿大耧斗菜 是春季野花中最令人振奋的一种。

is arguably the most cheerful of our spring wildflowers.

But of course they're not blooming for us.

当然，它们并不为我们盛开。

Their red flower heralds the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird,

它们的红色花朵预示红喉北蜂鸟的回归。

the East Coast's only hummingbird.

那是东海岸唯一一种蜂鸟。

After these tiny birds have flown thousands of miles

这些小鸟从中美洲向东北 迁徙了数千英里之后，

on their migration from Central America to the northeast,

they rely on the sugary nectar of the columbine to refuel,

依靠加拿大耧斗菜的含糖花蜜补充能量。

小鸟们相信这种花会等着它们。

and they have reason to believe

that this flower will be waiting for them when they do.

The Columbine stores their nectar at the end of long spurs,

因为加拿大耧斗菜将 花蜜储存在长花距末端，

where only the long tongues of the hummingbird can reach it.

只有蜂鸟的长舌可以抵达。

As the bird drinks the nectar, they pollinate the flower.

小鸟喝花蜜时也会给花授粉。

Both organisms are benefiting here,

这两种生物同时受益。

and in fact, the ruby-throated hummingbird

事实上，红喉北蜂鸟就是 加拿大耧斗菜的授粉搭档。

is the eastern red columbine's pollinator partner.

The bird and the flower could not be more charming,

小鸟和花朵再迷人不过了，

but it's the dynamics between the two where the real magic resides.

但真正的魔法在于两者之间的动态关系。

Let me explain.

让我解释一下。

Birds have an extra photoreceptor

红喉北蜂鸟有额外的感光器，

that allows them to see red incredibly well.

使得红色在它们眼中格外突出。

Flowers have taken advantage of this

加拿大耧斗菜利用了这一点，

and use the color red to communicate.

用红色和蜂鸟交流。

As the hummingbirds fly over land on their journey,

蜂鸟们飞越陆地时，

a wave of red flowers blooms to greet them.

就会有一波红色的花朵迎接它们。

This beautiful dance of symbiosis is happening all around us,

这支美丽的共生之舞就在我们身边，

among plants and animals that have evolved together for thousands,

就在共同进化了数千年，

if not millions of years.

甚至数百万年的动植物之间。

In return for planting native plants,

作为种植本土植物的回报，

we get a front-row seat to the wonders of the natural world.

我们可以亲身领略自然世界的奇观。

It's hard work,

这项工作很艰苦，但也是最棒的。

but it's the best kind because at the end of our efforts,

因为在我们的努力之下，

既能丰富生物多样性，还能引来蝴蝶。

not only do we get biodiversity but we get butterflies.

When butterflies visit flowers, they're there for a quick drink of nectar.

蝴蝶赏花时也会浅尝一口花蜜。

But if we want to support their full life cycle,

但是，如果我们想给 蝴蝶的整个生命周期提供支持，

we need to provide them with food when they are very hungry caterpillars.

我们便需要在它们处于 极度饥饿的毛虫时期提供食物。

Caterpillars eat leaves, but they can't just eat any leaf.

毛虫吃树叶，

但它们不能什么树叶都吃。

They need the leaves they have evolved to digest.

能够被蝴蝶消化的树叶才是它们的食物。

Monarchs and milkweed are the most famous duo,

黑脉金斑蝶和乳草是最著名的双人组。

but every butterfly and moth has a plant or even a few

不过每只蝴蝶和飞蛾都有 一种乃至几种可以产卵的植物，

that they lay their eggs on.

These are their host plants.

这些是它们的宿主植物。

At Brooklyn Bridge Park a while ago,

前一阵子，在布鲁克林大桥公园，

I saw American lady butterflies visiting our flowers.

我看见小红蛱蝶正在参观我们的花朵。

So I looked up their host plants

于是我查了它们的宿主植物，

and found that their favorite was a tiny white flower

发现它们最喜欢的是一朵 名为珠光香青的白色小花。

called pearly everlasting.

So I ordered a few,

所以我订购了几株，

hoping that the butterflies would eventually find them.

希望蝴蝶最终能找到它们。

However, when I opened the box,

但当我打开盒子时，

it was like butterflies just materialized out of thin air

蝴蝶却好似凭空出现，直奔珠光香青。

and went straight for the pearly everlasting.

We had to brush the butterflies off the plants

我们必须刷掉花上的蝴蝶 才能把它们种进土壤。

just to get them in the ground.

Now I know that it might be a shock for some of you to hear

我知道，听说我这类人 想让昆虫吃掉园艺植物，

that people like me want insects eating our garden plants.

有的人可能会非常震惊。

But even bugs we refer to as pests can be important for biodiversity.

但是，即使是被称为害虫的虫子，

也可能对生物多样性很重要。

Long ago at Brooklyn Bridge Park, our catalpa trees got covered in aphids.

很久以前，在布鲁克林大桥公园， 我们的梓树上爬满蚜虫。

They are a common garden pest

它们是一种常见的花园害虫，

that suck the sugary liquid out of leaves.

会从树叶中吸出含糖液体。

People encouraged me to spray them with pesticides, but I didn't.

人们鼓励我喷洒杀虫剂，但我没有。

And the following year we found the two-spotted lady beetle

第二年，

我们在梓树上发现了二星瓢虫。

on our catalpas.

This was the first sighting of this ladybug in New York City

这是 30 年来，

纽约市首次出现这种瓢虫。

in 30 years.

(Applause)

（掌声）

And the thing about them is that they eat those tiny aphids

正是它们吃掉了梓树上的小蚜虫。

that are on our catalpas.

So if we had sprayed the trees,

所以，如果我们喷过杀虫剂，

we would have harmed the ladybugs as well.

就会同时杀掉这些瓢虫。

Gardening is a long game.

园艺是一场漫长的游戏。

With patience, we can return balance to these systems.

只要有耐心，我们就能平衡这些系统。

When we allow pests to live in our gardens,

如果我们允许害虫在花园里生活，

predators like ladybugs will soon move in.

瓢虫一类的捕食性动物就会随之而来。

By building up biodiversity,

打造生物多样性可以将害虫拒之门外。

pests are kept at bay.

Most gardeners try to maintain these clean, sterile environments

大多数园丁试图保持清洁无菌的环境，

that are the exact opposite of what wildlife wants.

可这与野生动物想要的完全相反。

The more we can stop being tidy,

花园和景观离整齐有序越远，

the more wildness we can bring into our gardens and landscapes,

其中的野性就越多，

其作为野生动物的栖息地就越好。

the better habitat we provide.

Wherever possible, we should stop mowing.

有可能的话，我们不应再割草。

Why not get rid of your lawn?

为什么不放弃平整的草坪，

Or shrink it drastically.

或大幅缩小它的面积呢？

Lawns should be area rugs, not wall-to-wall carpet.

草坪应该是一小块地毯，

而不是一整层地毯。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

(Applause)

（掌声）

Leaves that fall to the ground should be left there.

落叶应当留在原地。

They're literally called leaves.

它们既然叫落叶，

We should leave them.

我们就该落下它们。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Bumblebees nest in those leaves, birds will forage in them,

熊蜂在落叶中筑巢，

鸟儿在落叶中觅食，

and butterflies overwinter in them as well.

蝴蝶也在落叶中度过寒冬。

Seed heads can be sculptural while feeding the birds,

小鸟可以一边进食一边雕啄种子头，

and old flower stems can be tucked away to allow tiny bees to nest in them.

小蜜蜂也可以在藏起来的旧花茎里筑巢。

All of these practices create new looks for our gardens,

这些做法都为花园创造了崭新面貌，

but part of this work is changing our ideas of beauty.

也在改变我们对美的看法。

Traditional gardens were often about displaying control over nature.

传统花园通常为展示人类对自然的控制，

But we no longer wear powdered wigs and hoop skirts.

但我们不再戴假发套， 也不再穿铁环长裙。

We don't need to be authoritarian in our garden design.

那我们也不再需要充满 专制主义色彩的园林设计。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And it's not all or nothing.

这不是全有或全无。

There's almost always space on our land where we can go a little wild.

我们总有足够的土地肆意挥洒野性。

The rose mallow is this tropical-looking hibiscus

芙蓉葵就是这种有热带风情的木槿。

that grows throughout eastern North America.

它生长在北美东部。

The stems are often cut down by gardeners in spring,

园丁通常在春天砍下它的花茎。

but we left them up one year

但我们留了一年没砍，

因为我们发现有很多益虫在使用这些花茎。

because we found that there were a bunch of beneficial insects

that used those stems.

And what we ended up with, I find absolutely stunning.

我们最终得到的成果，

那绝对令人惊叹。

It might not be a look for every garden,

它不是常见的花园，

but certainly we can find space for it.

但它有存在的理由。

因为几周后，

Because a few weeks later,

we found a song sparrow nest nestled in between those uncut stems.

我们找到了一个歌雀巢， 它搭建在存留的花茎之间。

And soon we had baby song sparrows hopping around outside of the garden.

不久之后， 就有小歌雀在花园外蹦跳。

There's a direct link between that garden practice

这种园艺实践能与一只 实际存在的小鸟产生直接联系。

and an actual baby bird.

In these scary times,

在这个可怕的时代，

it can be so hard to know what to do and how to help.

我们很难知道该做什么， 该如何提供帮助？

But it feels great to cultivate life with your own two hands.

但是亲手培育生命的感觉非常棒。

And there's an abundance of research now to show how beneficial gardening is

现在有大量的研究表明，

园艺对我们的健康乃至幸福大有裨益。

for our health and even our happiness.

Because we all deserve to live in a healthy and thriving ecosystem.

因为我们都应该生活在一个 健康繁荣的生态系统中。

But it feels even better when we're part of those systems,

但当我们成为这些系统的一部分，

supporting the plants and pollinators around us

与身边的植物、 授粉媒介们相互扶持时，

the way that they support us.

那感觉会更好。

Like many of you,

像你们中的许多人一样，

I am at times immobilized with climate grief,

我有时会被生态悲伤所困，

thinking about the world that we're leaving for our children.

我们要留给孩子的世界已经生态失衡。

But gardening, honestly, brings me so much hope

但是说实话， 园艺让我看到了很大的希望。

that we can solve some very big,

我们能够解决一些 非常大、非常严重的问题。

very serious problems, that we have the solutions already.

我们已经找到了相应的解决方案。

And many of them simply involve planting flowers.

很多方案仅仅与种花有关。

Thank you so much.

非常感谢。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌声和欢呼）