Build Back Biodiversity

 

I read a quote this week from Doug Tallamy that really resonated with me about what we can do as individuals. The quote was in support of International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22). The theme for 2023 is “From agreement to action: Build back biodiversity.” Doug’s quote is (bolding is mine):

“When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, the impacts of our rapidly-growing human footprint were obvious enough, but, like everybody else who was concerned about the loss of nature, I focused 100% on saving the bits of nature that had not yet fallen to the bulldozer. Never once did it occur to me that I could rebuild effective habitat right in my yard.”

We now understand that we can (and should) build back some of the biodiversity (that is, biological diversity) that has been lost. Our residential landscapes are becoming key areas to reintroduce native plants and to bolster the biodiversity that is shrinking because of habitat destruction and replacement of natural habitat with development and non-native plants. The very name of this blog is USING Georgia native plants; we need to be USING them in our landscapes. 

Why do we need diversity in our plants? It’s because we have diversity in our insects, and they don’t all eat the same thing.

The story of the Monarch butterfly’s decline in population has gotten a lot of attention over the last decade, and it serves as a reminder that when native insect host plant distribution declines (which was true for milkweed, the single host plant family for Monarchs), so do the insects that depend on it. This is especially true for specialist insects like the Monarch and Zebra Swallowtail butterflies. When insect populations decline, so do all the species in the chain after them (birds, frogs, dragonflies, etc.).

Add some garden-friendly goldenrod

Regular plant nurseries and big box stores often have the same plant choices and most of them are not native. If we all shop there and plant these same non-native plants in every landscape, our biodiversity is reduced because we're all planting the same plants. It is further reduced because most native insects can’t use these non-native plants to further their life cycle. We might as well be landscaping our yards with plastic plants. Plants that literally add life to your landscape need to be native to Georgia.

96% of birds depend on finding insects for themselves or their babies
Photo credit: Romin Dawson

People can be intimidated by the thought of changing their landscape, especially in large amounts. You don’t have to rip out all your landscaping at once and re-do it. We all have time and money constraints. Adding a simple pollinator garden (6x8), replacing a row of non-native shrubs, adding a native oak to your landscape – these are all steps we can make in a positive direction. My post last year offered some tips on getting started.

There are also some things you can do that don’t require planting right now: You can stop applying pesticides to your landscape; [please!] cancel that mosquito-spraying contract; or simply mow your lawn every 3 weeks instead of every 2 weeks. We can make a difference as individuals and with our own yards. We can build back the diversity that our local ecosystem needs. Don’t wait for someone else to do it; remember the Lorax? If not you, then who?

If you haven’t read Doug Tallamy’s books, I do recommend Nature’s Best Hope to get started. I think you’ll find yourself reaching for your shovel before you’re even done with it.