I confess, my past gardening habits contributed to the mess we are in now. You have seen the headlines: Massive Decline of Bird Populations! Declining Bee Populations Pose a Threat to Global Agriculture! I thought: well that sucks, but what can I, with my small urban yard, do about it?
It turns out that I, and other gardeners, can do quite a bit, no matter the plot size – several square feet, a tenth of an acre, or several acres.
Entomologist Doug Tallamy has initiated an amazing effort – to link all our gardens together to provide habitat for birds, bees, and other pollinators.
Check out Tallamy’s website and watch his video presentations:
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/tallamys-hub-1
The gist from Tallamy’s website:
‘HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK® IS A GRASSROOTS CALL-TO-ACTION TO REGENERATE BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION BY PLANTING NATIVE PLANTS AND CREATING NEW ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS.
‘Our initial goal is 20 million acres of native plantings in the U.S. This represents approximately ½ of the green lawns of privately-owned properties.’
I am enthused. I have discarded my old bad gardening habits and have begun to renew my yard by:
- Not using any pesticides – these chemicals kill bees as well as caterpillars that birds need to feed their babies.
- Replacing lawn and non-native plants with shrubs and flowering plants native to my region that will be hosts for picky butterfly and moth caterpillars that in turn will feed bird babies. Plus, some caterpillars will become beautiful butterflies!
- Leaving tree leaves after they fall – the leaves provide shelter for overwintering caterpillars and bees.
In the first year, I found many native bees, four species of butterflies and two dozen moth species in my little yard! And the birds have started to flock in. This spring I will be taking out more grass and planting more natives. Tallamy’s website offers resources to get started. Every effort helps.
As Tallamy concludes:
‘Catalyzing a collective effort of individual homeowners, property owners, land managers, farmers, and anyone with some soil to plant in…to start a new HABITAT® by planting native plants and removing most invasive plants. It is the largest cooperative conservation project ever conceived or attempted.’