Bit-by-bit I’ve been building Yes Spaces for my backyard critters. 

Are you familiar with the concept of a “Yes Space”? A Yes Space is a dedicated area that allows small children to do a particular thing. Instead of outright prohibiting the thing, you give them a place to do the thing.

Example: My kid is allowed to draw on the walls in his bedroom. He’s not allowed to draw on the walls in the living room. His bedroom is the Yes Space for wall art. And some of it is quite good, actually. 

Anyway, habitat piles AKA brush piles are my current backyard project. 

Simply put: habitat piles are intentional piles of dead wood that provide shelter for animals. By creating these spaces, I’m giving my backyard residents a safe place to be that isn’t my attic, my crawl space, or my shed. 

 (more info here: https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-05/brush-piles-safe-space-wildlife)

Habitat piles fill an immediate need while I intentionally plant more trees, shrubs, and grasses, which all take time to grow. 

The back corner of my property is made up of a thicket of native chickasaw plum trees. While the thicket provides food and shelter for a number of birds and other animals, a section of dead and dying trees were suppressing younger native trees from thriving. 

Having a mix of tree species is really important for biodiversity, so in December my dad lugged his chainsaw down from New York to cut down this section of trees. In doing so, several wax myrtles, a native dogwood, a magnolia, and at least one white oak have space to grow. 

To continue to provide shelter, I’ve started stacking the tree cuttings into more organized and intentional piles. As they break down, the space on top increases, giving us a place for future cuttings. 

I left about two feet of space between the piles and my neighbor’s fence, which runs along the property line. In that space I spread a native seed mix that I made using switch grass, blue toadflax, bee balm, and some other flowers that I can’t remember. I’m excited to see if anything pops up in a few months.

I’m also considering planting some kind of flowering vine that can use the piles as a trellis, providing a food resource for pollinators. 

What does any of this have to do with my work as an author, writer, or yoga instructor?

Well, tons.

But in a few sentences: Living alongside nature is a theme that comes up in most of my work. It’s not a theme that I just explore through writing books or short stories, but one that I partake in every day.

In sharing this with you, I hope that you’ll get to know me and better understand my work. 

Curious about habitat piles and other backyard ecology projects? Leave your questions in the comments!