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Will you help us make our area a little bit wilder?
Worried about the planet? Change starts in your backyard...
Wildlife needs our help. Human activity has changed & eliminated critical habitat. Birds, bees, butterflies & wildlife are forced into shrinking wild areas. But you can make a difference in your own backyard. By using the right plants and practices you can create vital habitat right outside your own door.
Planting Native - Why Does it Matter?
Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving biodiversity.
Over the past century, urbanization has taken intact, ecologically productive land and fragmented and transformed it with lawns and exotic ornamental plants. The continental U.S. lost a staggering 150 million acres of habitat and farmland to urban sprawl, and that trend isn’t slowing. The modern obsession with highly manicured “perfect” lawns alone has created a green, monoculture carpet across the country that covers over 40 million acres. The human-dominated landscape no longer supports functioning ecosystems, and the remaining isolated natural areas are not large enough to support wildlife.
Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive. For example, research by the entomologist Doug Tallamy has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars whereas ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars. When it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees, that is a significant difference.
Unfortunately, most of the landscaping plants available in nurseries are alien species from other countries. These exotic plants not only sever the food web, but many have become invasive pests, outcompeting native species and degrading habitat in remaining natural areas.
Join the Collective Effort!
Landscaping choices have meaningful effects on the populations of birds and the insects they need to survive. The bottom line is this—homeowners, landscapers, and local policy makers can benefit birds and other wildlife by simply selecting native plants when making their landscaping decisions. To do your part, you can use Audubon's handy database to discover native plants in your area and which types of birds they'll attract. Just enter your zip code, and it's as easy as that.
Are you Connected?
The places we live, work, learn, play, shop, worship and more all represent opportunities to create vital connections between larger conservation areas. You can be part of a growing movement to invite nature home. Click below to explore the topic.
Ready to Grow Wild?
The Humane Gardener
Every great wildlife gardener should be connected to the writings and wisdom of Nancy Lawson, the Humane Gardener. Click on the image above to visit her website and dig in!
We Are the ARK
The "We are the ARK" (Acts of Restorative Kindness) initiative invites people worldwide to give back part of their land to nature and our wild kin. Click on the image above to get connected!