The following article was written by Jim Knickelbine, the Executive Director at Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve.
Our backyards are our sanctuaries—places to relax, tend flowers and trees along with our lawns, feed birds, play with children and pets, and enrich our lives. They are a habitat for ourselves and the creatures which live with us. When it comes to what kind of environment we create on our property, we can choose from a number of alternatives. The classic, groomed, English-styled lawn is one, framed with ornamental plants and trees. They are lovely from a certain perspective, but if we are concerned about helping wildlife—many species of which have lost a lot of habitat and are declining in numbers—we may want to make a few adjustments to make our property a bit more wildlife-friendly.
If we want to work with wildlife rather than against it, we should start by considering adding native plants to our backyard habitats. Native plants are those which lived here before people brought other plants from around the world with them when they relocated to our neck of the woods. Natives have lived here for many thousands of years and have coexisted with the animals that live here also—they developed together and have deep relationships.
Jim Knickelbine
Among the most intimate relationships are those between plants and insects. Many insects feed on plants. In some cases, the process is destructive to the plant, while in others it is either encouraged or discouraged by the plants themselves. Some, like caterpillars, chew leaves, but usually not more than the tree can replace. Others pollinate the flowers of plants, and yet others distribute their seeds.
Most importantly, insects which feed on plants take the solar energy the plants collect and distribute it throughout the ecosystem. They and the energy in them are consumed by many other species of living things. They’re the energy pipelines of the natural world.
If we introduce foreign plants, native insects and other animals don’t always recognize them, or know what to do with them. Non-natives are not generally beneficial and we are now seeing how they hurt the populations of beneficial animals of all kinds. Also, some non-natives are invasive, and overrun their surroundings because nothing eats them. They crowd out the native plants that belong there. As such, they cause the decline of both native animals and plants at the same time.
It’s easy to make things better for nature, starting with planting native flowers and trees. It’s no more difficult that planting foreign plants and often natives require less care. Native plants can be used in traditional formal or informal settings. They are adapted to our climate and rainfall, and don’t require much—if any—fertilization. At the same time, including native plants provides a huge benefit for native animals, including insects like native butterflies and bumblebees.
Red Admiral Butterfly on Purple Coneflower
Having most of the plants in your yard native to the area provides an oasis for them—and enjoyment for you. Many native flowers, like coneflowers, asters, milkweeds, and others are easy to grow and colorful. Butterflies find them immediately—after all, they’re ‘designed’ to attract them. If you like birds, plant oak trees. They are the most beneficial plant for birds, hosting many caterpillars which feed young nestlings—almost every songbird feeds caterpillars to their young. And oak trees grow faster than you might imagine.
Wildlife benefits from even small patches of native habitat in our yards—it isn’t always necessary to focus on large wildlife refuges. Small habitats scattered across the land would provide the same benefit as a large National Park to wildlife and is a very attainable improvement to local ecosystems. This concept—the Homegrown National Park—was conceived by Dr. Doug Tallamy, an entomology professor at the University of Delaware, and author of the book “Bringing Nature Home.” He is a gifted writer who understands and effectively explains the relationships between native plants and insects, and the importance of those relationships.
If introducing native plants into your personal landscape interests you, I would encourage you to attend “Home Grown: Landscaping Native Plants,” a presentation I’ll be giving at Manitowoc Public Library on Monday, May 15, at 6 PM. We’ll be going over the beauty and benefits that native plants can bring to your yard.
The key to improving the natural world we are part of is right under our noses, in our own backyards, and it’s easy to do.
