It’s mid-May, and I’m working in my garden when I hear voices coming from the direction of my neighbor’s apple tree. Peeking over the fence, I see two men with saws and pole pruners. I feel a flutter of apprehension. I’ve seen the carnage that untrained tree trimmers can inflict on a tree, and the lack of safety equipment tells me that these gentlemen are not Certified Arborists.

Certainly, the old tree could use some pruning. From the looks of it, it has never been pruned. I’m guessing it’s been growing there as a free spirit for 60 years or more; it was probably planted shortly after the little ranch house was built in 1956. Now, its five sturdy trunks, each spanning 10 inches across, form a vase-shaped canopy that fills nearly half the backyard. Smaller branches, clothed in fresh green foliage, sprout from the main trunks in profusion. Each fall, the apple crop is abundant, though the fruits are rather sour. The tree is healthy and productive.

I go back to working in my garden and try to tune out the sound of falling branches. I’m renovating my garden this year, replacing most of my purely ornamental plants with more wildlife-friendly options. I’ve been reading about gardening for wildlife, and it’s got me eager to make some changes. I’m encouraged by the diversity of insects I’m already starting to see. I’m learning about the bees and bugs and wasps and dragonflies that dwell in my garden, and I’m loving it.