Seeing the Forest for the Weeds: How labeling guides perception in the garden
Illustration by Gina Rattanakone
Observation
When I first started teaching ecological design, I was surprised at how often people forgot key elements in their initial sketches. They might map out their backyard, but forget a garage, shed, or a walkway. Things so obvious they took them for granted in their recollection of the space.
Observation is a skill that must be developed and, believe it or not, it doesn’t come naturally. The human brain is hard-wired to recognize patterns and quickly assess a situation. This function of the brain is what furthered our survival, so it’s a vital function except when we need to create a site plan.
That’s when observation becomes critical. I learned this for the first time in my garden bed, long before I started down the integrative ecological farming path. My eldest daughter was a small toddler and I had her with me as I was picking peas. As we moved along, I plucked anything that wasn’t a pea from the soil. At the end of the row, my gloved hand reached for the stalk of some spotted knapweed that had sprung up, but my toddler stopped me with a question: “Why are you pulling that one?”
If I’ve learned anything as a mother, it’s that children are incredible observers. I paused and thought about her question. All I knew about this plant was the discomfort it caused if you pulled it without gloves. I had never considered its function within the garden.
“What do you like about it?” I asked. “I like the flowers,” she answered.
Had I even noticed the purple tufted flowers?
I left the spotted knapweed for the moment. And began to notice where it grew best; in areas near the roadside where the soil had been disturbed, in areas of the garden plowed up with regularity. I learned it is allelopathic, a talent that lasts only so long as it takes for the plant to stabilize the soil. When I did finally pull the knapweed, I paid attention to the long, sturdy taproot, used to mine for nutrients and open soil, allowing oxygen and water to enter. While this plant inhibits the growth of other plants during the role it plays in ecological succession, it also goes to flower ahead of the late summer blooms and is a favorite of the honey bee.
Illustration by Gina Rattanakone
An Experiment in Observation
To illustrate the importance of observation without assessment in my sessions, I start each class by dividing everyone into two groups. These groups are facing away from each other. The first and second group are shown the same images (but they don't know that). The images are simple line drawings. One is an oval with a bubble on top, another is two rectangles; one within the other, and the third is a triangle on top of a square.
I say nothing more and begin the design session with everyone again facing forward. We continue the class without further mention of the experiment and just before we conclude, I again divide them into two opposite-facing groups.
This time, instead of asking them to recall what they saw at the start of the session, I show each group a set of three labels. The first set includes the labels "envelope," "hat," and "doorway," and the second group is given "house," "UFO," and "fireplace." [Remember, the images they saw at the start of the class were identical; only the labels have changed.]
Illustration by Gina Rattanakone
No matter the demographic of those within the room that day, the experiment demonstrates again and again that labels have a powerful hold on our perception. The image of the square with a triangle on top when labeled “envelope,” is drawn with the triangle facing downward and sometimes includes a stamp. Likewise, the label “house” ends up like the original drawing, but with a chimney or door or windows added.
