Life on the small scale in a garden can have oversize drama. ©From the video “My Father’s Garden,” Mirko Faienza

From a large, city botanical center to a small corner plot in your own backyard, a garden is beneficial for the environment. Not only do gardens and green spaces provide us with food and flowers, they help control urban temperatures—mitigating the effects of extreme heat and cold. They help prevent flooding by absorbing rainwater that would otherwise overload drainage systems, and they support a wide range of wildlife that includes birds, invertebrates and mammals.

Research also shows there are psychophysiological advantages to having gardens and green spaces in your neighborhood. Improved cognitive function, a reduced incidence of illness or reported illness, a higher sense of relaxation, pain relief and the ability to cope with trauma have all been associated with spending time in such spots.

Rarely, however, do we get to peer into our gardens for an intimate and close-up view of the variety of life on the small scale—and the oversize drama—that goes on in them every day. That’s why the short film below, titled My Father’s Garden, created by Mirko Faienza, is so intriguing. Watch this stunning photographic endeavor. Afterward, you may never see your garden—and the small creatures that inhabit it—the same way again.

Here’s to finding  your true places and natural habitats,

Candy