University of Delaware Entomologist, Ecologist Suggests Things You Can Do to Save Nature with Your Yard
With Earth Day approaching on April 22, now is an ideal time to consider what we can all do to protect our Earth. And its inhabitants. A renowned conservationist from…
With Earth Day approaching on April 22, now is an ideal time to consider what we can all do to protect our Earth. And its inhabitants.
A renowned conservationist from the University of Delaware, Douglas Tallamy, helped initiate the native plant movement. In 2007, his first book, “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants,” was published. He further expanded on this message in 2020 with his work “Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard.” His recent book, “How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard,” outlines practical steps for people to contribute to the biodiversity of their lawns and gardens.
Tallamy shares the following nature insights in his book:
- Promoting biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, and all its interconnected interactions is essential to human survival.
- Human development is destroying the Earth's biodiversity.
- We need insects to keep our plants pollinated and support the food web. It allows birds, lizards, and other animals to survive.
- Lawns lack the proper habitat for pollinators and other insects.
- About 83% of the land in the United States is privately owned, and approximately 40 million acres consist of lawns.
- We can restore biodiversity in the United States if we plant native species on half of this private land. Even if the plants grow in pots on balconies or patios.
- If we plant keystone native species, such as milkweed and plants indigenous to the Delaware River Valley, they will support many insects and other wildlife. It enhances our region's biodiversity.
When Tallamy and his wife purchased 10 acres of farmland in Pennsylvania in 2020, they made an effort to return native plants to the landscape. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, Tallamy said, “1,323 species of moths and 60 species of birds that have bred on our property (the only two groups I have counted so far). The return of life to our land has happened in just a few years for one simple reason: We put the plants back.
“Our hope is that if people try it on a small scale, they will see results and be encouraged to do more in the future,” Tallamy said.
