I was scared when a loud noise in my apartment woke me in the middle of the night. I rushed to turn on my bedroom light and discovered it was a cat. Here’s the thing — I do not have a cat. And this was not the first time this particular cat had demanded my attention. I immediately calmed down and realized my mistake — I had left a window open. I approached my house guest to entertain her by giving her some treats and scratches under her collar.

Just like many others, I shifted from working in an office to working from home. Living alone can be separate from outside at the best of times. It was around the one-month mark of the lockdown when I heard a meow outside my window. Sitting outside on the grass was a long-haired, golden-colored cat. I opened the window, and this beautiful cat jumped into my home. Her short visit lifted my spirits for the day.

A few days later, I heard a familiar meow. I saw a name tag on her collar: Mika. On this second visit, I also noticed Mika was cross-eyed, which only made her more lovely.

Over the next few weeks, Mika would drop by occasionally. Sometimes, she only stayed for a few minutes; other times, she would wander around my apartment much longer. Each visit cheered me up. Mika even served as my social bridge, helping me connect with some new neighbors, who, as it turns out, had also received visits from her.

While the lockdown has been awful, I doubt I might not have ever met Mika if it had not happened. But perhaps she came by at this time because she sensed a need for connection on my part.

While dogs are said to be man’s best friend, a good cat can be everyone’s best friend.

Choose Native Plants for Your Garden

Jessica Damiano moved into a new home in the spring of 2005. A month later, she was delighted to see a flowering plant start to grow. 【小题1】

Two years later, Damiano graduated from Cornell University’s master gardener program. She worked as a gardening writer for a local newspaper. 【小题2】 She discovered that her favorite plant was called purple loosestrife and that it was considered “invasive(入侵的)” in her home state of New York. However, she told herself that the plant was not spreading on the land and that it was not out of control.

Then she learned more. Some plants known to be invasive are what Damiano calls “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. This means they may seem harmless and well-contained in the garden but become harmful in other places.

【小题3】 Those seeds grow into new plants that affect native plants. This is because invasive plants often are not eaten by local wildlife, which would otherwise keep them under control.

If not controlled, invasive plants grow larger and push out native plants that provide food and shelter for birds, insects, and small animals. This harms the local environment.

Many state environmental agencies don’t allow the sale and use of plants found to be harmful to human or ecological(生态的) health. But some invasive plants are not officially considered invasive. 【小题4】

So, what should a gardener do?

Damiano says gardeners should avoid any plants sold as “fast-spreading” “quick-climbing” or a “rapid self-sower”. She warns that these are all sellers’ key words for invasive plants.

Next, learn about your local area. Which plants are invasive? And which plants are native? Ask government agencies and environmental groups. 【小题5】 Then you can confirm invasive plants.

Though March remains cold, the return of the bright and gently warming sun wakes winter-sleeping plants and seeds from their sleep. Today, I’m out here to sow seeds for the summer garden: tomatoes, peas, cucumbers. All of these plants are easy to grow, pretty and tasty.

Initially, I plant the little tomato seeds into rows in a single seed plate, each variety divided by a sideways stick and labelled. Then I cover a fine layer of soil over them and put the tray in a basin of water to make the compost(堆肥) wet.

For tomatoes, it is not yet warm enough for reliable growing outdoors. In the main, a warm home is a good place to get seeds going, as they don’t necessarily need a great deal of light at this stage. In a few weeks, when their two young leaves have come out, I will gently dig them out. Softly pick up one of their delicate leaves between finger and thumb, I’ll slip a pencil below their young roots to carefully dig the plant from its birthplace.

I’ll then place the seedling in a, pot to grow, big, and strong, and begin to feed, the plants with a liquid from brewed(发酵) chicken waste. These tomatoes, being tender, will stay in my house until early May then settle into their forever home in the unheated greenhouse.

Despite there now being enough light for tender plants to grow outside, it is still too cold for them. A sunny balcony, warm glasshouse or passageway will do them well until the frosts pass, and day and night temperatures consistently reach 8—10℃.

Learning to be guided by cues from the wild can deepen our relationship with the living world, allowing us to experience ourselves as part of rather than separate from the rhythms of life on Earth.