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BACKYARD ENVIRONMENTALISM Last month’s “Go Native” column, citing a new edition of Douglas Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home, made a plea for using indigenous plants in the home garden to feed native insects, the protein source for most forms of higher life. But can such a small effort really make a difference? And can the backyard gardener create a beautiful garden with native plants? To answer the first question, we have to look at the record pace of habitat destruction. Most of our natural ecosystems have been decimated by development or invaded by alien species (only one percent of Pennsylvania is deemed wild). And conservation lands are scarce and fragmented – tiny habitat islands surrounded by roads, dammed waterways, manicured lawns, and development. So Tallamy believes that a network of home gardens planted with native species is the last best hope to preserve biodiversity in this land of farm, city, and suburb. Now to the second question, how do we create beautiful gardens with native plants? Unfortunately, exotic aliens have ruled landscape design. But there is no reason that gardeners can’t adopt a new aesthetic, informed by some of the original contributions of Mother Nature. To aid the effort, native plant growers are working hard to develop hybrids suitable to home gardens; and public spaces are beginning to incorporate natives into their plantings. For example, to attract butterflies, plant a milkweed variety, perhaps the well-behaved orange butterfly weed, or one of the new strains of swamp milkweed. Yes, the Asian butterfly bush does attract nectar-seeking adults; but not one single North American butterfly species can use this import for hosting larvae. And every home needs shade, but unfortunately the alien Norway maple has become the most common tree sold in North America, rapidly displacing indigenous trees with its windborne seeds, and supporting no native insects. So to provide shade and spectacular fall foliage, try a sugar maple or a red maple -- natives that host over 285 species of moths and butterflies. In the shrub border, use Appalachian azaleas instead of Asian varieties; and ninebark instead of burning bush or Japanese barberry. In the perennial bed, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, evening primrose, baptisia, and New England asters nurture all sorts of winged creatures. Violets in the lawn feed fritillaries. And if you’re a fan of rapidly spreading ground covers, replace English ivy, which hosts nothing in this country, with Virginia creeper, which enables the majestic Pandora sphinx to reproduce. Tallamy in fact provides seven pages of native plants suitable for gardens in the Mid-Atlantic States. Refer to his Appendix if you are serious about becoming a backyard environmentalist, and potentially doubling the numbers of native insects visiting your “naturalized” outdoor space. Because ultimately “Go Native” is not just about a new garden aesthetic; but more importantly about a sustainable relationship with other species that were here long before us. Kathleen Arcuri Published in The Benton News, September 6, 2009 |
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Kathy’s Garden Writing |