Go Outside, Get Dirty, and Grow Wild

A very hands on way to make a difference in the world.

As I walk through my neighborhood, I notice a lot of wonderful activity this time of year. Neighbors are out mowing their lawns and tending to flowerbeds. Birds are fluttering around, little squirrels play in trees, and baby bunnies hop about. At home, I found that we have two little chipmunks who love to scurry about the rock garden right outside my cat’s favorite window, just taunting the heck out of him.

It’s time to be a part of it all, to feed the ecosystem that is right now so evidently alive and bursting from the seams. No matter where we live or what stage of life we are in, we can contribute.

To do the most from your current position, think of yourselves as part of your region’s green corridors, the connected green space in an area that provides habitat to creatures large and small. Whether it’s providing pots of native pollinator-friendly plants outside on your windowsill, shrubs in your yard that shelter and feed our cutest critters, what you do in your home matters.

Here are a few ideas, inspired by seasoned ecologist and professor Doug Tallamy, of how to be a part of this spring in a positive way:

1. Plant natives.

   When you visit your local nursery or cooperative extension office, ask what native flowers, trees, grasses, and shrubs they have available. Choose these for anywhere you plant. Give them as gifts. Sneak them into your parents’ yards. Do what you must!

   Using plants that are native to your region support more animal and insect species that have evolved to specialize and complement them. These guys support our soil quality, food security, and protect us from disease. If you really want to go the extra mile, reconsider your foreign ornamental plantings. They can counteract your good work with natives.

2. Limit mowed areas.

   We have a strange obsession with expansive mowed lawns in America that doesn’t do us many favors. The beautiful yards you see in garden store ads are essentially a pristine monoculture. That is, they host only one kind of grass with no weeds. This is bad for diverse, healthy ecosystems.

   Try adding wild growing areas into your yard design, scattering native wildflower seeds or planting native long grasses in designated sections. Even a little can help!

3. Rethink using pesticides.

   Bugs in yards are okay. They are, in fact, a really good sign. They support healthy soils and the creatures higher up the food chain that eat them. If you plant natives, you will likely need fewer interventions to keep them healthy. If you do need pest control, limit the use and try least drastic measures first.

I challenge you to choose one thing to make your landscape a little more wild and wildlife-friendly. Post a picture of your small but meaningful step if you feel like it, and share this with a friend to grow the effort.

Above all, have fun, get your hands dirty, and enjoy this awesome time in the world.

It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to make a difference. In this case, the “difference” will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them. -Douglas W. Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home