Tallamy suggests how to transform backyards into productive ecosystems, providing information about the most beneficial plants to use and which to remove. Add Nature’s Best Hope to your summer reading list and start putting into action the transformation of your own yard into a beautiful, native ecosystem!
In his latest book Nature’s Best Hope, University of Delaware professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology Doug Tallamy describes actions private landowners can take to protect ecosystems in their own yards. To help counteract the impacts of habitat loss on plant and animal populations,
Tallamy suggests how to transform backyards into productive ecosystems, providing information about the most beneficial plants to use and which to remove. Add Nature’s Best Hope to your summer reading list and start putting into action the transformation of your own yard into a beautiful, native ecosystem! Bti is a naturally occurring toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. The dunks work by killing mosquitos in their larval stage. The larvae eat the Bti spores, which release a toxin into their guts and causes them to stop feeding. Bti is not toxic to humans or other mammals, birds, or fish. Therefore, it is safe to use in water sources that do not drain off your property, such as rain barrels or ornamental ponds. Doug Tallamy suggests a method of using Bti dunks to create a trap to reduce local mosquito abundance since most species of mosquitos travel less than one half mile from where they breed: Place water in bucket with straw and let it ferment for about 4-5 days; the larvae feed on the algae and microorganisms that grow on the straw, so this entices female mosquitos to lay their eggs in the bucket. Wait one week then add a dunk. Because Bti only kills aquatic fly larvae, you can safely dispose of the water by dumping it onto your lawn.
While lawns are ubiquitous in our suburban landscape, this monoculture of grass is of little value to the native ecosystem. It is a time and money sink due to required maintenance, especially under trees and on hills where grass tends not to grow well. The way we maintain lawns also does direct harm to the environment: fertilizers and pesticides that we apply to keep it full and green kill beneficial insects and pollute waterways. Let go of this burden and rethink the structure of your yard by shrinking the size of your lawn to reduce the negative impacts on wildlife and replacing it with landscaping filled with native plants! How to get started: Make an assessment of your lawn. Ask yourself what parts you use and what parts you don’t. Are there areas where you struggle to get grass to grow well? Keep the lawn that you use for relaxing and playing outdoors, and convert the rest to landscaping. You don’t have to do this all at once. Start by planting a tree or shrub. Expand areas that are already landscaped. Also consider mowing your lawn less frequently, particularly in April and May when spring ephemerals pop up in the lawn. As suggested by the “No Mow May Movement”, you can support pollinators by delaying mowing while the spring flowers (such as violets) are blooming. Photos by Susan O'Donnell Migrating birds can become disoriented by artificial lights while they are migrating at night, causing them to fly off-course, wasting crucial energy needed for their long flight, or worse, being killed in window collisions. You can do your part to protect birds all year, but especially during the peak months of migration in the spring and fall. The Audubon Society outlines a number of steps that you can take to reduce light pollution affecting birds. At home, turn off decorative lighting facing up into trees, shrubs, and buildings. Install motion sensors for outdoor safety lights, and shield those lights so that they only face down. If you work in a tall building, talk to the building manager about turning off indoor lighting at night or pulling shades and eliminating unnecessary decorative outdoor lighting. These measures will also save money on energy costs! Photo by Sean O'Donnell Take advantage of Mother’s Day weekend native plant sales to restore wildlife habitat in your yard.5/5/2022
Plants native to our area are vital parts of the local ecosystem, providing shelter and nesting sites as well as being a source of food and flowers to support pollinators. Native plants make a wonderful addition to your landscaping because they are adapted to the local climate and require less maintenance once established. Importantly, they are also add beautiful splashes of color and greens to the landscape! Mother’s Day weekend offers a great opportunity to find native plants to add to your home. Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford holds its annual wildflower, native plant and seed sale on May 7-8th this year, and they have volunteers on hand to answer questions about which plants work best in your yard. The plant sale at Tyler Arboretum in Media is also this weekend and includes a variety of native plants. Check out their list of natives to plan your visit. If you miss the special sales this year, you can purchase native plants throughout the season at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope and Redbud Native Plant Nursery right here in Media. The practice of appreciating and enjoying trees is described in the www.treehugger.com article by Melissa Breyer. As she describes the practice of viewing cherry blossoms as being "as simple as a walk amongst the trees or a few moments of reveling in the individual beauty of one. But it is often much more. Traditionally it includes a picnic/party set beneath the pink clouds of sakura—there are friends and family, favorite foods, and sake. And of course, there is reverence for the trees and the fleeting transience of the blossoms, which last no more than two weeks. "* She suggests for our own appreciation of trees: "Starting with a few weeks in spring when they're at their most exuberant is a lovely way to start."* *Melissa Breyer, March 20, 2022, "We should all adopt 'Hanami,' the Japanese tradition of flower viewing." www.treehugger.com photo by Susan O'Donnell Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Back Yard Swarthmore Public Library, Swarthmore Horticultural Society, & the Swarthmore Environmental Advisory Council present a Q&A with Doug Tallamy about his book Thursday, March 31st at 7pm on Zoom Registration required. In Nature’s Best Hope, Douglas Tallamy uses his expertise as a Professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware to teach us about ecosystems and how to protect them. Specifically, he celebrates the power of private landowners and the choices we can make in our own backyards. Tallamy shares practical advice about how to transform your yard, along with information about the best plants to use and those to avoid. Nature’s Best Hope lays out all you need to know to participate in one of the greatest conservation projects of all time! In addition to reading the book, you can view three of Tallamy’s online talks, in advance of the Q&A: Nature’s Best Hope Making Insects: A Guide to Restoring the Little Things That Run the World The Nature of Oaks Treehugger.com recommends electric leaf mulchers to help you use the leaves to enrich the soil in your yard. Author Stacy Tornio points out that "leaves are some of the most underutilized resources in the backyard. You can use them as organic mulch, compost, and cover for your plants and garden beds, saving you a lot of time and money over time. Having a good leaf mulcher is the key to making this possible.
When you have fallen leaves in the garden, one way to take care of them is by bagging them up and putting them out as yard waste. A more eco-friendly way to take care of them is to put them back into your own yard and garden. Yet, this can take up a lot of space and be slow to break down in your flower beds. By shredding and mulching the leaves instead, you can save a lot of space. Plus, it’ll make it easier for the material to break down in the garden soil or your compost bin."* She distinguishes them from leaf blowers in that "leaf mulchers will have a functionality much like a vacuum that sucks up the leaves into a compartment while shredding them at the same time." Stacy Tornio, May 17, 2022, "The 7 Best Leaf Mulchers of 2022," www.treehugger.com Finding time to play outdoors can be a struggle, so Katherine Martinko lists on treehugger.com some advice to get kids outside. "Start thinking of it as a necessity. If you start viewing daily outdoor play as being as important as a meal or a good night's sleep, you'll start to find more time for it. Think of it as nonnegotiable; no 'extra' things should happen until outdoor playtime has been checked off the list."* She suggests scheduling outdoor time the way you plan other extracurricular activities. "If you only have a few minutes, take advantage of that. Send kids outside for five or ten minutes to blow off steam, run around the block, wrestle in the snow, or dig a hole. It doesn't take much to make a big difference."* Plan family time time outdoors on weekends, whether far away, at local parks, or in your own backyard.
Leave the leaves in your lawn and plant beds as mulch for plants and shelter for pollinators.10/2/2021
As fall arrives, people spend a lot of time and money removing the inevitable piles of leaves. However, leaving the leaves in place is actually better for the health of our yards. This can be accomplished by raking leaves into plant beds and mulch-mowing leaves into the lawn.
Leaf litter is a vital resource for both plants and animals. Bird and insect populations are declining, in part due to habitat lost to development. Countless insects, including the larval and pupal stages of important pollinators, rely on leaf litter for protection over the winter. These same leaf piles consequently become important places to forage for food by birds. We can provide this habitat in our yards by placing leaves under the plants these animals frequent. The plants also benefit as the leaves break down and return essential nutrients to the soil. Decomposed leaves also add structure to the soil, which improves water retention and the soil’s ability to handle droughts and flooding events. When we remove leaves, we find that we need to add extra fertilizer and must purchase mulch for our plant beds. Leaf mulch also suppresses weeds, helps retain moisture, and protects plant beds during the winter. You can save time and money by using the leaves that are already in your yard. To create leaf mulch for your yard, rake leaves into plant beds and mulch mow leaves directly into the lawn. To help leaves decompose faster, use a mower, leaf shredder or chipper to break leaves into smaller pieces before adding them to plant beds. If you prefer the look of bark or other mulch in your landscaping, add a 3” layer of leaf mulch and cover that with a commercial mulch of your choice. Use a regular mower or attach special mulching blades to mulch leaves into the lawn. Many mowers are already designed to mulch cut grass and can be used to mulch mow leaves as well. Put the mower on its highest setting and run it over the leaves. This is best done when leaves are dry. Sometimes a second pass is needed to shred them to a small enough size. Use the resources that have already been deposited in your yard to benefit your plants and their pollinators. |
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