Why Shoud You Care?

We are dedicated to saving the community garden Mr. Fan has tirelessly worked on for so long and cares so much for. The law can no longer help Mr. Fan, but community voices can.

Bulldozers are set to destroy the community garden as soon as the garden is set to bloom in April. This means we have a tight deadline to try to do as much as we can to stop Mill Pond Manor's bulldozer in its tracks.

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(1) The Benefits of Nature, Specifically for Elderly People

Being in nature and enjoying fresh air is vital for aging members of our community. It has been proven that being outside and engaging in activities like gardening lead to better health outcomes and longer lifespans for aging adults. Some of the health benefits include: decreased risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease, improved respiratory and cardiac health, and decreased risk of mental health illness such as depression and anxiety. We all know that taking a walk outside is vital for our health. Why not make that walk someplace that beautiful like the garden?

A United Kingdom Biobank cohort study tracked the health and well being of 363,000 individuals with an average age of 57 years old. They tracked the next few decades of their lives in this longitudinal study with a goal of understanding the relationship between physical and mental wellbeing and the prevalence of green and blue space around one's home. The study found with higher exposure to green and blue space was correlated with lower psychiatric disorder risks, lower incidence of dementia onset, and reduced reporting of anxiety and depression.

A fine lens of the data showed that the outcomes were even more magnified amongst the oldest participants in the study and those with pre-existing health conditions that have been identified. Other studies like this one were replicated at Washington State University, by BMC Public Health in South Korea, and at Indiana University.

A close-up view of vibrant flowers showcasing their beauty in a box planter.

(2) Kinds of Flowers and Trees Found in Mill Pond

There is a wide variety of plant species that exist in Mill Pond, with some being more rare and intensive than others. None of these would exist without Changming's efforts. They all must be protected.

Red Sequoias

• Red sequoias are not natural to Michigan, but the fact that they can grow here is an impressive feat.

• These massive trees provide effective carbon storage, and they help reduce Carbon pollution by....

• The size and shading of a sequoia affect soil moisture, enrich the soil, allow for the prevalence of fungi that heals decay, and provide shelter to birds and insects.

• The large and expansive roots prevent soil erosion, maintain stable groundwater levels, and reduce rain runoff.

  
  

Perennial Flowers

There are a variety of native perennial flowering plants that circle Mill Pond Manor and are endemic in Saline and Southeast Michigan. These could include cardinal flowers, swamp milkweed, cinnamon ferns, and autumn ferns. These plants are more than just beautiful. They have powers beyond that too:

• Preserving Water Quality: The roots of perennial flowers slow runoff, allow water to soak into soil and not rush into pools, drains or ponds. Thus, reducing mud and sediment from entering into the water.

• Facilitate Healthy Soil: The roots of flowers bind soil particles together, slowing erosion and keeping ground soil intact. It keeps the ground from dehydrating and cracking, forming a beautiful layer of mulch over top.

• Provides food for Animal Wildlife: Walking through Mill Pond, one will find an array of wildlife typical to Michigan. Michigan has a wide array of birds from various species of duck, geese, swans, songbirds, and herons. These birds scavenge these flowers for their favorite seeds and insects that live among them.

  
  

Milkweed Plants

The favorite of Mill Pond Manor is the Monarch Butterfly and all of the various species of butterflies that inhabit Southeast Michigan. If one knows anything about butterflies, they understand milkweed is their favorite food.

• The nectar of milkweed is a source of sugar beloved by caterpillars. Thus, on the leaves of milkweed is where most butterflies lay their eggs. Without the milkweed plant, butterflies cannot reproduce.

• The milkweed and the butterfly are so intertwined that caterpillas depend on the toxins that milkweed release to survive. They havve a symbiotic relationship to each other.

• Particularly the compounds, the cardenolides, provide a form of protection to butterflies, coating their wings with a sort of poison that ward off predators from eating them.

  
  

More scenes from the Garden:

Some additional flowers and milkweed growing in the garden in late Fall.

Some beautiful flowers of green, purple, and distant yellow black-eyed susans. There is a large caterpillar if you look closely!

A simple walk around the garden on any given day, in almost any season, would show a different part of this complex ecosystem. Not only do the plants enrich the wildlife of Mill Pond, but they enrich every organism there (including ourselves.) They are more than a simple thing to gaze at, but they are fundamental to our clean air, clean water, and overall health and well-being.