Book Review for ‘Bringing Nature Home’

This summer was hard on our yard. Several of our plants bit the dust and a few more are looking shaky. As a result, we’ve been thinking about replacements. We tend to plant native plants, but our reason for doing so has simply been that we aren’t willing to pay to water our yard. :) Then I read Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens by Dr. Douglas W. Tallamy and became committed to planting native plants on an entirely different level.

In the book Dr. Tallamy, an entomologist, discusses the importance of native plants to an area’s wildlife. He clearly explains the link from native plants to native insects to native wildlife. He also walks through several sources of data to explain the situation wildlife in our country currently face. Most surprising (and disturbing) to me was that the measurements of landscape ecologists show only 3-5% of all U.S. land is undisturbed habitat.

This means that families can make a real difference for native insects, birds, and other wildlife by planting native species in their yards. With, for example, 96% of birds in North America relying on insects and spiders to nourish their young, the need for food and space for wildlife is crucial. Sometimes the most profound ideas are the most simple.

After reading the book, my daughters and I walked our dog through our neighborhood. Along the way we noticed which plants had insects on them (typically native) and which did not (typically non-native). By the end of our walk, the girls were correctly identifying native plants using only this easy test.

If you are interested in planting natives but need assistance finding local plants, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has created the Native Plant Database to help people identify their area’s natives. Light and moisture requirements can be selected to help you find the best plant for a given location. You can even search by flower color!

PlantNative is another helpful source of information. Their How To Naturescape section provides basic landscaping information, from making a plan to designing for wildlife. Their Recommended Books section even lists helpful books for each area in case you want to learn more.

If you want to neutralize the affect of your book purchase, visit Eco-Libris. To locate an independently owned bookstore near you, visit IndieBound. You may also want to check SwapTree, an online trading site for books, cds, dvds, and video games.

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