Maxine Iharosy . 2017
Photo by Natalie Showfield Howard
An edge zone is the most diverse space. It is the place of multiple ecosystems meeting,
merging, and interchanging. Between the meadow and forest is where you will only find certain
plants, and certain insects which feed on those certain plants. Mushrooms love edge zones. So
do deer, coyote and owl.
Within us we have edge zones where spaces of dark and light meet. Where ideas, perspectives,
or memories come up and meet each other. It is here where we can encounter great uncertainty
and great beauty. Our inner edge zones provide us diversity of thought, action and reaction.
There is a space inside where our purity meets the muddy banks of experience- layers and
layers piled up and compressed. From the bank, roots dangle down, moss clings, a stone is
wedged.
When I am walking in the forest I think of the places inside of myself where different aspects of
myself meet up and reveal the resilient will to grow. I am inspired by seeing edge zones in
nature. I am reminded of my own inner landscapes that too bear incredible detail.