There was a king living in a large palace with wonderful gardens. In those gardens lived thousands of creatures of hundreds of different species of animals and birds. There was great diversity in the gardens, turning that place into a kind of paradise that everyone could enjoy. But there was only one thing in those gardens that the king hated.
Near the middle was the remains of a massive tree from centuries ago, but now it had withered and dried, and it had detracted from the color and beauty of its surroundings. This annoyed the king to the extent that finally he ordered it to be cut down and replaced with a beautiful series of fountains. Later, a wise nobleman was visiting the king in his palace and whispered in the king’s ear: Oh your majesty, you are the wisest of men everywhere.
People heard talk about the beauty of these gardens and the many creatures inhabiting them, but during this time I spent here, I found nothing but this fountain and a few small birds. What happened! Indeed, the king found that what the nobleman had told him was true. They had spent many months admiring the fountains, but they didn’t realize that hardly any animals remained in the gardens.
Without wasting time, the king sent experts and advisors to learn the reasons for the animals’ escape. The king had to listen to many lies, inventions, and assumptions, but nothing he heard could explain what had happened. Despite the great reward the king offered, he wasn’t able to restore the previous splendor of the royal gardens.
After several years, a young man presented himself to the king, assuring him that he could explain what had happened and how to bring the animals back to the garden. The young man said to the king: What happened to your garden is that there wasn’t enough of your majesty’s dung, and especially some insects. All those present laughed at the young man’s joke, and the guards prepared to arrest him.
But the king stopped them and said to him: I want to hear what lies you have to say, for I haven’t heard anything of this sort before. The young man continued his speech and began explaining how the large garden animals fed mainly on the small, brightly colored birds, which owe their appearance to the food they eat and consist of colored worms, which in turn feed on rare different types of plants and flowers.
That can grow only in this part of the remains of dead trees. As long as there was enough dung or moth droppings that was the basis for food for many other birds, and this dung encouraged the appearance of new types of plants, which insects and other animals feed on, which in turn were vital for the existence of other species. The young man continued speaking like this without stopping.
Until the king shouted and said: Enough! Can you tell me how you know all these things, being very young? The young man answered: Well, because now everything that was in your garden is in my home. Before my birth, my father collected that old tree that you tore from the middle of the garden and planted it in our garden. Since then, every spring, thousands and thousands of moths come to that very tree.
With the passage of time, the moths and worms attracted birds, and new plants and trees grew, providing food for other animals, which in turn provided food for others. Now my parents’ old garden is filled with life and colors, and all thanks for that to the moths from the large old tree. The king said: Excellent! Now I will be able to restore my gardens, and I will make you rich. Be assured that everything will be ready within a week. Use as many men as you want.
The young man said: Oh your majesty, I fear the matter cannot be so. If you would like me to try to recreate the gardens, I will do it, but you won’t live to see it. It will take many years to restore the natural balance of the garden so it reestablishes itself. The old king’s face became sad and pale, and he understood the sensitivity of nature’s balance and how his neglect in happily cutting down the old tree had broken it.
But he loved those gardens and creatures so much that he decided to build a huge palace beside the young man’s garden. With thousands of men working in construction, he was able to see the palace finished in much less time than it would take to rebuild the natural balance of that garden anywhere else. Thus he was able to enjoy the garden again after learning the lesson well.
Story translated from: The Natural Garden