It's true. We are ALL nature's best hope. Today, Dr. Doug Tallamy presented a convincing case as to WHY it's SO IMPORTANT to plant natives in his online program titled "Nature's Best Hope." Our yards and other lands, both large and small, offer opportunities to host and benefit insects, ESPECIALLY CATERPILLARS. Yes! We WANT AND NEED caterpillars in our yards, primarily to feed young birds (see slide below).
Dr. Tallamy, who's an agriculture and natural resources professor at the University of Delaware and author of Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens (plus other books), turned his 11 acres of former farmland in Pennsylvania into a haven for wildlife. He restored the worn-out land with native trees, including many oaks, and other native plants that attract and support moths and their caterpillars. (Need help finding plants? Check out the Native Plant Finder in the slide below.) I love Dr. Tallamy's story. It's what we've done with our yard here in Blanco. To date, I've documented 1,015 species on iNaturalist in our yard.
Dr. Tallamy also introduced his new project called Homegrown National Park, a grassroots effort to restore biodiversity across the United States one habitat (yard or property) at a time. The project's official mission states: To restore biodiversity and ecosystem function because every human being on this plant needs diverse highly productive ecosystems to survive. James and I will likely be one of the first from Blanco County to sign up. Join us!
