The helicopters are coming!

As we were getting married 6 years ago, my husband and I purchased my grandparents’ home, a modest 1950’s Cape Cod, with a moderate-sized backyard. Presiding over the backyard is a 60-year old maple tree, home to numerous squirrels and birds. We have a love-hate relationship with the tree, its canopy tends to block the sunlight, further limiting the prime growing space. On this particularly hot spring day, unusually warm for WNY this time of year, the tree provided much needed shade from the blistering sun, a welcomed place to rest as we worked tirelessly preparing the garden beds for planting. Sitting in a lawn chair, parked under the tree, a helicopter fell into my lap. It was a striking bright green, sort of a reminder of the season of bright hope, rebirth, rejuvenation. However, my thoughts quickly turned to this little tiny seed, a reminder that if we didn’t hurry up and put plastic down over the beds as a shield, these millions of seeds would lead to the tedious job of picking mini maple trees from the garden beds for the rest of the growing season and beyond. With any luck, a plastic sheet draped over the beds will help keep the seeds out (and maybe the squirrels, too!). Beware of the helicopters!