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Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens
As development and subsequent habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. But there is an important and simple step toward reversing this alarming trend: Everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity.
There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife is in crisis and may be headed toward extinction.
Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition—with an expanded resource section and updated photos—will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference.
There is an unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals. In many parts of the world, habitat destruction has been so extensive that local wildlife is in crisis and may be headed toward extinction.
Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition—with an expanded resource section and updated photos—will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2007
About the author
Douglas W. Tallamy
8 books297 followersDoug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 88 research publications and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, Humans and Nature, Insect Ecology, and other courses for 36 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 416 reviews
December 28, 2018
Don't read before bedtime. This book makes you want to go outside and plant hackberry trees in the middle of the night.
January 25, 2021
Gardeners are now more important than ever. They can make a difference "to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that support them."
Ornamental horticulture and the many alien species with landscape value have an effect on the environment. So the author begins an "assault" on the non-native species in his yard. He notices the native species provide food for insects. But no leaf damage on non-native trees. These insects provide food for birds, bats, and other creatures.
Plants provide "the energy that sustains all life."
The author shows a photo of a large suburban home with a large perfectly mown green lawn, some bushes in front of the home, and a few puny trees. We have to change this picture. My lawn is wild, even where I mow. I can find many different kinds of plants, including wild strawberries.
"Insects are unusually nutritious. Pound for pound, most insect species contain more protein than beef, and their bodies are extremely high in valuable energy."
Each of us has to create our own backyard nature habitat.
Mr. Tallamy speaks of a frog pond he used to play at. Eventually, it was bulldozed over. Believe me, all of my play areas have been bulldozed over. Absolutely all of them. And no one knows about the wonderful salamanders, turtles, and other creatures that used to live there. This is a local job. Be involved in your town. Save wild areas for the sake of our children. Otherwise the developers will destroy everything for a quick buck. Humans have been destroying nature for a long time. Change comes slowly. It is in our genes.
Another concern is cats. I cannot emphasize this enough. Cats are killers of countless numbers of birds. Please be responsible pet owners.
Here is the author's solution: Learn to coexist with the plants and animals around you.
Biodiversity is critical to life on earth. It is not just an accessory.
Keystone species are critical to ecosystem survival. But let's think of all species as keystones. This is a far more comprehensive approach. Diverse ecosystems are less susceptible to alien invaders. Undisturbed forests remain free of invasive species because the landscape is dominated by a diverse array of natives.
Diversity is not a panacea in itself. So invasive species do not help. The species of an area "must be functioning members of an interacting community."
For example, Melaleuca has almost completely displaced native grasses on hundreds of thousands of acres of the Everglades. The "river of grass" that we treasured so much is now a dense forest of alien trees that are of no use to the creatures who live in the Everglades. Alien organisms will invade faster and do better in "disturbed" sites.
When people buy "pest free" plants, they are purchasing invasive species. Insects need long evolutionary time to adapt to the plants' chemicals. Most insects are specialists. I remember planting broccoli once and all of a sudden I had some sort of broccoli bugs on the plants.
Studies show that birds decline in areas dominated by alien plants. Part of that is the loss of insects as well.
The words "native" and "alien" in plants are not arbitrary terms open to debate. They are unambiguously defined by a plant's evolutionary background.
Alien plants can bring diseases. One example is the chestnut blight. It arrived here 1876 from a Japanese plant. Within 50 years, the American chestnut tree, a dominant species, was "functionally eliminated from the eastern deciduous forest system." The impact on our ecosystems has been enormous.
The book provides some invaluable lists. And it ends with a terrific index of native plants with wildlife value by region of the United States. Highly recommended.
Ornamental horticulture and the many alien species with landscape value have an effect on the environment. So the author begins an "assault" on the non-native species in his yard. He notices the native species provide food for insects. But no leaf damage on non-native trees. These insects provide food for birds, bats, and other creatures.
Plants provide "the energy that sustains all life."
The author shows a photo of a large suburban home with a large perfectly mown green lawn, some bushes in front of the home, and a few puny trees. We have to change this picture. My lawn is wild, even where I mow. I can find many different kinds of plants, including wild strawberries.
"Insects are unusually nutritious. Pound for pound, most insect species contain more protein than beef, and their bodies are extremely high in valuable energy."
Each of us has to create our own backyard nature habitat.
Mr. Tallamy speaks of a frog pond he used to play at. Eventually, it was bulldozed over. Believe me, all of my play areas have been bulldozed over. Absolutely all of them. And no one knows about the wonderful salamanders, turtles, and other creatures that used to live there. This is a local job. Be involved in your town. Save wild areas for the sake of our children. Otherwise the developers will destroy everything for a quick buck. Humans have been destroying nature for a long time. Change comes slowly. It is in our genes.
Another concern is cats. I cannot emphasize this enough. Cats are killers of countless numbers of birds. Please be responsible pet owners.
Here is the author's solution: Learn to coexist with the plants and animals around you.
Biodiversity is critical to life on earth. It is not just an accessory.
Keystone species are critical to ecosystem survival. But let's think of all species as keystones. This is a far more comprehensive approach. Diverse ecosystems are less susceptible to alien invaders. Undisturbed forests remain free of invasive species because the landscape is dominated by a diverse array of natives.
Diversity is not a panacea in itself. So invasive species do not help. The species of an area "must be functioning members of an interacting community."
For example, Melaleuca has almost completely displaced native grasses on hundreds of thousands of acres of the Everglades. The "river of grass" that we treasured so much is now a dense forest of alien trees that are of no use to the creatures who live in the Everglades. Alien organisms will invade faster and do better in "disturbed" sites.
When people buy "pest free" plants, they are purchasing invasive species. Insects need long evolutionary time to adapt to the plants' chemicals. Most insects are specialists. I remember planting broccoli once and all of a sudden I had some sort of broccoli bugs on the plants.
Studies show that birds decline in areas dominated by alien plants. Part of that is the loss of insects as well.
The words "native" and "alien" in plants are not arbitrary terms open to debate. They are unambiguously defined by a plant's evolutionary background.
Alien plants can bring diseases. One example is the chestnut blight. It arrived here 1876 from a Japanese plant. Within 50 years, the American chestnut tree, a dominant species, was "functionally eliminated from the eastern deciduous forest system." The impact on our ecosystems has been enormous.
The book provides some invaluable lists. And it ends with a terrific index of native plants with wildlife value by region of the United States. Highly recommended.
June 22, 2019
Complex, intelligent and very interesting! Recommend to: Anyone interested in gardening, bees, birds, butterflies and moths. If you liked Inheritors of the Earth: How Nature Is Thriving in an Age of Extinction, you may like this.
February 10, 2010
I found this a wonderful book. The author writes quite well. He explains the difference between native and alien plant species (NO Rob - I am talking about plants from Europe and Asia, not another planet).
He demonstrates how we need insects in our world for life to continue and how insect numbers are hugely impacted by the types of plants we have. It has taken thousands of years of evolution to put the right insects with the right plants and since we started bringing in plants from other countries, we have screwed our world up even more. He then shows us what we can do to help nature out. He lists a wide variety of native plants that we can grow and help out insects and birds. And no, he has no good suggestions for keeping deer from eating all of your plants. I am personally thinking of buying a wolf or two for the backyard.
He demonstrates how we need insects in our world for life to continue and how insect numbers are hugely impacted by the types of plants we have. It has taken thousands of years of evolution to put the right insects with the right plants and since we started bringing in plants from other countries, we have screwed our world up even more. He then shows us what we can do to help nature out. He lists a wide variety of native plants that we can grow and help out insects and birds. And no, he has no good suggestions for keeping deer from eating all of your plants. I am personally thinking of buying a wolf or two for the backyard.
October 7, 2008
There are lots of books that make the case for planting native species in your home garden. Bringing Nature Home is neat because it's written by an entomologist, a bug scientist. Native plants don't just provide food and habitat for native birds, mammals, and butterflies. Tallamy gets almost giddy about the cool caterpillars you'll find on the underside of an oak leaf. The color photos of fantastic bugs throughout the book are pretty convincing. Who knew we had neon grubs here in New Jersey!
I liked how he took the time to write paragraph descriptions of the trees he suggests you plant and I liked the suggestion that households or even neighborhoods choose one locally threatened species and plant according to its needs. As a scientist, he wrote very clearly, sometimes to his detriment in terms of pace.
If this interest you, you may also want to check out:
Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards by Sara Stein is a less sciencey, more whimsical look at total landscape design, focusing on bringing back native ecosystems, not just species. I like her big picture approach and think it works better for garden design.
A permaculture book, like Food Not Lawns or Gaia's Garden, shows home gardeners how to incorporate food into the home landscape, which when paired with native ecosystem restoration would create about the most sustainable, self-sufficient and earth-friendly landscape possible.
I liked how he took the time to write paragraph descriptions of the trees he suggests you plant and I liked the suggestion that households or even neighborhoods choose one locally threatened species and plant according to its needs. As a scientist, he wrote very clearly, sometimes to his detriment in terms of pace.
If this interest you, you may also want to check out:
Noah's Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards by Sara Stein is a less sciencey, more whimsical look at total landscape design, focusing on bringing back native ecosystems, not just species. I like her big picture approach and think it works better for garden design.
A permaculture book, like Food Not Lawns or Gaia's Garden, shows home gardeners how to incorporate food into the home landscape, which when paired with native ecosystem restoration would create about the most sustainable, self-sufficient and earth-friendly landscape possible.
January 28, 2011
An extremely thoughtful book that is an accessibly written and exciting read. The author explains in clear language supported by numerous studies why biodiversity is important, why alien plants are problematic (I never knew that many native insects do not eat them and the resulting impact on the larger food chain) and how to balance your planted environment whether in the city or suburb to restore balance. The appendixes at the end are quite useful. I checked this out from the library but am ordering it NOW to keep as a reference!
September 12, 2021
“Today’s gardeners are so concerned about the health of their plants that they run for the spray can at the first sign of an insect. Ironically, a sterile garden is one teetering on the brink of destruction.”
BRINGING NATURE HOME
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy is a book that made me think of my Dad and great-grandmother. They were both gardeners. And it also happens to be Grandparents Day, today. I grew up watching them in the yard. My boys were so used to helping my Dad in the yard. It is inspiring. So when I started this book, it warmed my heart. It is something I would have discussed with them. The main theme of this book is how to sustain wildlife with native plants. While planting anything is good, planting native plants are even better. It helps promotes a healthy ecosystem. The native birds and insects need native plants in order to thrive.
“In the Jenga metaphor, the role of any given species in maintaining the stability of its ecosystem is similar to the role of individual blocks play in keeping the tower from tumbling down. Each block supports the tower in some way.”
BRINGING NATURE HOME
It is clear that everything has its role. If we remove one, how does that affect the rest? So even if our yards are small, we can still do our part. Planting native plants can help. You will see more birds, butterflies, and bees. But it is also critical to research the plants. Some people will plant certain flowers that attract butterflies but not plants that aid caterpillars and larvae.
In the drive to my Mom and Dad’s house, it used to be all fields. In the past year, it has all been bulldozed, making way for thousands of new homes. How do you think that will affects the plants, insects, birds, and animal life in the area? Where are they going to go?
“Their estimates depend on how strictly you define ‘undisturbed’ but the consensus aming landscape ecologists is that 3-5% of the land remains as undisturbed habitat for plants and animals. In other words, for our own use, 95-97% of all land in the lower 48 states…”
BRINGING NATURE HOME
If you feel at a loss of what to do, the best thing you can do is plant some native plants. It definitely won’t hurt. But we need to turn our mindsets around if we want our Earth to thrive. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
BRINGING NATURE HOME
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy is a book that made me think of my Dad and great-grandmother. They were both gardeners. And it also happens to be Grandparents Day, today. I grew up watching them in the yard. My boys were so used to helping my Dad in the yard. It is inspiring. So when I started this book, it warmed my heart. It is something I would have discussed with them. The main theme of this book is how to sustain wildlife with native plants. While planting anything is good, planting native plants are even better. It helps promotes a healthy ecosystem. The native birds and insects need native plants in order to thrive.
“In the Jenga metaphor, the role of any given species in maintaining the stability of its ecosystem is similar to the role of individual blocks play in keeping the tower from tumbling down. Each block supports the tower in some way.”
BRINGING NATURE HOME
It is clear that everything has its role. If we remove one, how does that affect the rest? So even if our yards are small, we can still do our part. Planting native plants can help. You will see more birds, butterflies, and bees. But it is also critical to research the plants. Some people will plant certain flowers that attract butterflies but not plants that aid caterpillars and larvae.
In the drive to my Mom and Dad’s house, it used to be all fields. In the past year, it has all been bulldozed, making way for thousands of new homes. How do you think that will affects the plants, insects, birds, and animal life in the area? Where are they going to go?
“Their estimates depend on how strictly you define ‘undisturbed’ but the consensus aming landscape ecologists is that 3-5% of the land remains as undisturbed habitat for plants and animals. In other words, for our own use, 95-97% of all land in the lower 48 states…”
BRINGING NATURE HOME
If you feel at a loss of what to do, the best thing you can do is plant some native plants. It definitely won’t hurt. But we need to turn our mindsets around if we want our Earth to thrive. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.
June 22, 2018
I loved this book. When I learned last year that monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed plants, I thought there was something wrong with monarchs. But it turns out 90% of all insect species can only eat one genus of (native) plant. Without diverse insects, birds have nothing to feed their young, and our gardens essentially are not functioning ecosystems. As someone who has always kept critters in mind when gardening, this was sad to realize.
I realized that until I planted milkweed and New England Aster last fall for the monarchs, I had only a single native plant in my garden (coreopsis). What's scary to me is that gardeners basically haven't even been given a choice--we don't plant aliens because we prefer them visually to natives, we plant them because they're almost the only plants available to buy at big retailers.
My favorite thing about this book is that while he definitely has a sense of urgency (basically, because so many habitats have been destroyed, urban/suburban gardens are the only possible habitats left), he is encouraging, and doesn't lay on a guilt trip. Plus he's a total bug nerd (an entomologist) and it was fun learning about all the different bugs that help sustain wildlife.
Planting native doesn't mean having a weedy meadow that will get you HOA citations. Some beautiful and recognizable native flowers to the MidAtlantic include New England Aster, sunflowers, violets, hibiscus, blue false indigo, St. John's Wort, yarrow, milkweed, goldenrod, and more. Also a lot of common and beautiful trees are native (but many aren't, so definitely check if you want to plant a tree!) The National Wildlife Federation and Audubon Society have sites that will provide extensive lists if you enter your zip code. There also might be a garden store near you that specialized in native plants--I found one and bought some goldenrod and zizia.
Happy gardening!
I realized that until I planted milkweed and New England Aster last fall for the monarchs, I had only a single native plant in my garden (coreopsis). What's scary to me is that gardeners basically haven't even been given a choice--we don't plant aliens because we prefer them visually to natives, we plant them because they're almost the only plants available to buy at big retailers.
My favorite thing about this book is that while he definitely has a sense of urgency (basically, because so many habitats have been destroyed, urban/suburban gardens are the only possible habitats left), he is encouraging, and doesn't lay on a guilt trip. Plus he's a total bug nerd (an entomologist) and it was fun learning about all the different bugs that help sustain wildlife.
Planting native doesn't mean having a weedy meadow that will get you HOA citations. Some beautiful and recognizable native flowers to the MidAtlantic include New England Aster, sunflowers, violets, hibiscus, blue false indigo, St. John's Wort, yarrow, milkweed, goldenrod, and more. Also a lot of common and beautiful trees are native (but many aren't, so definitely check if you want to plant a tree!) The National Wildlife Federation and Audubon Society have sites that will provide extensive lists if you enter your zip code. There also might be a garden store near you that specialized in native plants--I found one and bought some goldenrod and zizia.
Happy gardening!
June 12, 2021
Douglas W. Tallamy is blunt: "My central message is that unless we restore native plants to our suburban ecosystems, the future of biodiversity in the United States is dim."
I was shocked to read this: "Most insect herbivores can only eat plants with which they share an evolutionary history." The meaning is clear: non-native plants can't support a rich and diverse ecosystem of native insects and birds.
This is grim: "We have become accustomed to meeting our needs without compromise. If we need space to live, we take it—all of it—and if that means filling in a pollywog pond or cutting down a woodlot, then so be it. We feel completely justified in sending the plants and animals that depend on those habitats off to make do someplace else. This is partly because no one is going to choose a pollywog over a human if presented with such a choice, and partly because, until recently, there always has been someplace else for nature to thrive. But no longer."
How about this: "Unless we modify the places we live, work, and play to meet not only our own needs but the needs of other species as well, nearly all species of wildlife native to the United States will disappear forever."
Happily, the author doesn't stop here. "The predictions of mass extinction are based on the assumption that the vast majority of plants and animals cannot coexist with humans in the same place at the same time. Nonsense! Evidence suggests that the opposite is true: most species could live quite nicely with humans if their most basic ecological needs were met."
A marvelous book everyone needs to read.
I was shocked to read this: "Most insect herbivores can only eat plants with which they share an evolutionary history." The meaning is clear: non-native plants can't support a rich and diverse ecosystem of native insects and birds.
This is grim: "We have become accustomed to meeting our needs without compromise. If we need space to live, we take it—all of it—and if that means filling in a pollywog pond or cutting down a woodlot, then so be it. We feel completely justified in sending the plants and animals that depend on those habitats off to make do someplace else. This is partly because no one is going to choose a pollywog over a human if presented with such a choice, and partly because, until recently, there always has been someplace else for nature to thrive. But no longer."
How about this: "Unless we modify the places we live, work, and play to meet not only our own needs but the needs of other species as well, nearly all species of wildlife native to the United States will disappear forever."
Happily, the author doesn't stop here. "The predictions of mass extinction are based on the assumption that the vast majority of plants and animals cannot coexist with humans in the same place at the same time. Nonsense! Evidence suggests that the opposite is true: most species could live quite nicely with humans if their most basic ecological needs were met."
A marvelous book everyone needs to read.
September 8, 2023
“Unless we restore native plants to our suburban ecosystems, the future of biodiversity is slim” because “most of our native plant eaters are not able to eat alien plants.” In many places, “there is no place left for wildlife but in the landscapes and gardens we create.” If you want wildlife around you to survive, it needs to find food, shelter and nest sites on your land, and you need to bring back the native plants it desires the most.
Insects: This planet has 4 million insect species, over 300,000 species of beetle, yet only around 9,500 species of birds. “30% of all animals are beetles.” “Pound for pound, most insect species contain more protein than beef.” Insects pollinate, return nutrients to and aerate the soil, and provide food for tons of animals. If there were no insects on earth, no people would be alive. But if there were no people on earth, insects would do just fine. “A large percentage of the world’s fauna depends entirely on insects to access the energy stored in plants” (Wilson 1987).
Plants are the first trophic level; the second trophic level are all the animals that eat plants (herbivores or phytophages). Moths are nocturnal while butterflies are diurnal (strangely, social butterflies are very active at night so perhaps the Kardashians more accurately should be called social moths, moths also being obsessed with being in the spotlight). Moths are more fragile to touch and are fatter than butterflies.
In 1900, 60% of Americans lived rurally; in 2000 that figure was down to 17.4%. By 2003, less than 1% of Pennsylvania is considered “wild”. Of course, too much of the US is paved, but on top of that, the American lawn involves alien grasses – total lawn area in the present US covers eight times the size of New Jersey. Wood thrushes (my favorite local bird call) are tropical migrants as are warblers, cat birds, hawks, wrens, vireos, flycatchers, swallows, tanagers and orioles. They are must fly thousands of miles to spend winter in Central or South America. These migrating birds sadly have been declining at a rate of 1% per year since 1966. An estimated billion birds a year die by flying into windows. When people tell you there are more birds here than ever, they are thinking about invasive species like European starlings and house sparrows. Diversity is most important when each species contributes to the local ecosystem. Factor in that “aliens colonize disturbed areas more than do native plants”; thus, mowing native areas risks alien intrusion.
How alien plants hurt your backyard: a lot of ornamental plants were introduced in the US because our insects avoided them. Alien plants didn’t need insecticide, and few cared that healthy environments must support insects. Many ornamentals escaped cultivation and began replacing natives. Native plants aid native wildlife – e.g. Eucalyptus trees in native Australia host 48 insect species, but the same trees in non-native California host only 1 species. It takes long evolutionary time for insects to adapt to a new alien’s chemical makeup. Because these new plants now don’t have natural enemies, they can out compete most native plants. Aliens outcompete our natives by not having insect enemies that want to eat that plant. Darwin noticed in South America that transplanted aliens out competed native plants forming a kind of monoculture.
Trees: No two species of tree have the same leaf chemistry; insects will need long time to be able to metabolize the leaf in question. Douglas Fir grows native to the Pacific Northwest, you can grow it in Oxford, Pennsylvania but it won’t function as a native there. The same is true of blue spruce, which is native to Western Colorado, but not an eastern suburb. Chestnut blight arrived from Asia in the Northeastern US in 1878; it killed off the American chestnut trees in fifty years. The lust for alien Japanese Chestnuts, destroyed the American chestnut.
Trees are carbon sinks – they hold carbon. A single large sugar maple tree can sequester 450 pounds of carbon per year. As long as the tree is alive, it will sequester carbon, offsetting climate change. Cage new planted trees with temporary 5-to-6-foot fences if you have a deer problem; deer eat lower branches, and you don’t want them taking out the whole tree because it’s still too short. On page 147, is a terrific charting how many butterfly species support each tree in the US. For example, Oak supports 534 species while Beech only supports 126 species.
Aliens: Alien plant attacks even affect our national parks, “The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, has been invaded by over 300 species of alien plants.” Alien nursery stock has a long history of bringing foreign diseases and pest into this country. Lawn mowers use lots of energy; mowing your alien lawn for one hour a week pollutes as much as driving 650 miles.
To best get butterflies on your patch of land, plant milkweeds and butterfly weed. Make sequential cuttings of your milkweed patches once a month in summer through to Fall to assure your Monarch larvae have “tender young milkweed leaves to eat”. Birds hunt for caterpillars not by looking for caterpillars, but by looking from a distance for damage done to leaves. Turn off outside lights at night to help moths.
What maintains local bird populations are not the commercial bird seed you leave out for the adults, but the amount of food (insects like larvae, worms, caterpillars, and the like) birds can only feed their little ones. We don’t know much about cicadas because they spend most of their lives underground sucking on tree roots.
If you want berries in your yard, plant arrowwood, elderberry, alternate-leaf dogwood, Virginia creeper, spicebush, black chokeberry, winterberry, native hawthorns, or red cedar. If you want Chuck Berry in your backyard, prepare to grave rob.
This book and Doug’s other one (Nature’s Best Hope) are wonderful ways to drive home the importance of all of us replacing our lawns right now with native plants to give nature and wildlife a better chance than they are presently getting. Everyone at my place spends a lot of time pulling up invasive Japanese stiltgrass and planting natives to make this (actively helping wildlife) happen; now you can too. Great book, highly recommended.
Insects: This planet has 4 million insect species, over 300,000 species of beetle, yet only around 9,500 species of birds. “30% of all animals are beetles.” “Pound for pound, most insect species contain more protein than beef.” Insects pollinate, return nutrients to and aerate the soil, and provide food for tons of animals. If there were no insects on earth, no people would be alive. But if there were no people on earth, insects would do just fine. “A large percentage of the world’s fauna depends entirely on insects to access the energy stored in plants” (Wilson 1987).
Plants are the first trophic level; the second trophic level are all the animals that eat plants (herbivores or phytophages). Moths are nocturnal while butterflies are diurnal (strangely, social butterflies are very active at night so perhaps the Kardashians more accurately should be called social moths, moths also being obsessed with being in the spotlight). Moths are more fragile to touch and are fatter than butterflies.
In 1900, 60% of Americans lived rurally; in 2000 that figure was down to 17.4%. By 2003, less than 1% of Pennsylvania is considered “wild”. Of course, too much of the US is paved, but on top of that, the American lawn involves alien grasses – total lawn area in the present US covers eight times the size of New Jersey. Wood thrushes (my favorite local bird call) are tropical migrants as are warblers, cat birds, hawks, wrens, vireos, flycatchers, swallows, tanagers and orioles. They are must fly thousands of miles to spend winter in Central or South America. These migrating birds sadly have been declining at a rate of 1% per year since 1966. An estimated billion birds a year die by flying into windows. When people tell you there are more birds here than ever, they are thinking about invasive species like European starlings and house sparrows. Diversity is most important when each species contributes to the local ecosystem. Factor in that “aliens colonize disturbed areas more than do native plants”; thus, mowing native areas risks alien intrusion.
How alien plants hurt your backyard: a lot of ornamental plants were introduced in the US because our insects avoided them. Alien plants didn’t need insecticide, and few cared that healthy environments must support insects. Many ornamentals escaped cultivation and began replacing natives. Native plants aid native wildlife – e.g. Eucalyptus trees in native Australia host 48 insect species, but the same trees in non-native California host only 1 species. It takes long evolutionary time for insects to adapt to a new alien’s chemical makeup. Because these new plants now don’t have natural enemies, they can out compete most native plants. Aliens outcompete our natives by not having insect enemies that want to eat that plant. Darwin noticed in South America that transplanted aliens out competed native plants forming a kind of monoculture.
Trees: No two species of tree have the same leaf chemistry; insects will need long time to be able to metabolize the leaf in question. Douglas Fir grows native to the Pacific Northwest, you can grow it in Oxford, Pennsylvania but it won’t function as a native there. The same is true of blue spruce, which is native to Western Colorado, but not an eastern suburb. Chestnut blight arrived from Asia in the Northeastern US in 1878; it killed off the American chestnut trees in fifty years. The lust for alien Japanese Chestnuts, destroyed the American chestnut.
Trees are carbon sinks – they hold carbon. A single large sugar maple tree can sequester 450 pounds of carbon per year. As long as the tree is alive, it will sequester carbon, offsetting climate change. Cage new planted trees with temporary 5-to-6-foot fences if you have a deer problem; deer eat lower branches, and you don’t want them taking out the whole tree because it’s still too short. On page 147, is a terrific charting how many butterfly species support each tree in the US. For example, Oak supports 534 species while Beech only supports 126 species.
Aliens: Alien plant attacks even affect our national parks, “The Great Smokey Mountains National Park, has been invaded by over 300 species of alien plants.” Alien nursery stock has a long history of bringing foreign diseases and pest into this country. Lawn mowers use lots of energy; mowing your alien lawn for one hour a week pollutes as much as driving 650 miles.
To best get butterflies on your patch of land, plant milkweeds and butterfly weed. Make sequential cuttings of your milkweed patches once a month in summer through to Fall to assure your Monarch larvae have “tender young milkweed leaves to eat”. Birds hunt for caterpillars not by looking for caterpillars, but by looking from a distance for damage done to leaves. Turn off outside lights at night to help moths.
What maintains local bird populations are not the commercial bird seed you leave out for the adults, but the amount of food (insects like larvae, worms, caterpillars, and the like) birds can only feed their little ones. We don’t know much about cicadas because they spend most of their lives underground sucking on tree roots.
If you want berries in your yard, plant arrowwood, elderberry, alternate-leaf dogwood, Virginia creeper, spicebush, black chokeberry, winterberry, native hawthorns, or red cedar. If you want Chuck Berry in your backyard, prepare to grave rob.
This book and Doug’s other one (Nature’s Best Hope) are wonderful ways to drive home the importance of all of us replacing our lawns right now with native plants to give nature and wildlife a better chance than they are presently getting. Everyone at my place spends a lot of time pulling up invasive Japanese stiltgrass and planting natives to make this (actively helping wildlife) happen; now you can too. Great book, highly recommended.
February 23, 2017
Solid information, very readable for the non-botanist, essential message, best descriptions of "bird food" insects ever (how often do insect stories make you grin and laugh out loud? the entomologist in the author really shines), comprehensive list of native plants for various American regions, excellent definition of what "native" really means. Native plants are those that native insects can eat to pass the energy from the sun up to all animals. This book also explains why focusing on "butterfly/pollinator gardens" works not just for the aesthetic appeal to humans - but for an enormous food source for birds.
I was encouraged to read this book by the Native Plant Society, which has chapters all across America. Native plants mean native insects mean native birds and everything else. If you understand that human populations must be maintained by natural spaces' services (clean air, water, soil to grow food), then you will understand the importance of this movement. Lawns are non-native, and many people dump chemicals on them, burn gas mowing them, and pour money into this cultural phenomenon that just doesn't make sense on a grand scale.
Read this book. Go native.
I was encouraged to read this book by the Native Plant Society, which has chapters all across America. Native plants mean native insects mean native birds and everything else. If you understand that human populations must be maintained by natural spaces' services (clean air, water, soil to grow food), then you will understand the importance of this movement. Lawns are non-native, and many people dump chemicals on them, burn gas mowing them, and pour money into this cultural phenomenon that just doesn't make sense on a grand scale.
Read this book. Go native.
May 15, 2021
This book has wonderful information and I am glad I read it. However, it is very scientific. It reads like a lighter college textbook. While I just skipped over the words I didn’t fully understand (“cultivar” for example) I think many non-botanists would simply abandon the whole book.
What I really want, as a non-botanist / non-gardener, is a simplified version with more concrete, practical recommendations. For example I would love specific native replacements for “typical” suburban shrubs. Tallamy gives individual native trees their own passages, but doesn’t do the same for shrubs. From a practical standpoint, and maybe I am in the minority, my yard is native oaks; it’s everything else (shrubs, flowers, ground cover) I need to address.
Anyway, I write this long review not to criticize this book so much as to get other authorities to publish more practically helpful books for the land owner who is persuaded to use natives but craves more specific directions.
What I really want, as a non-botanist / non-gardener, is a simplified version with more concrete, practical recommendations. For example I would love specific native replacements for “typical” suburban shrubs. Tallamy gives individual native trees their own passages, but doesn’t do the same for shrubs. From a practical standpoint, and maybe I am in the minority, my yard is native oaks; it’s everything else (shrubs, flowers, ground cover) I need to address.
Anyway, I write this long review not to criticize this book so much as to get other authorities to publish more practically helpful books for the land owner who is persuaded to use natives but craves more specific directions.
December 2, 2011
This is the best books I've read on why we need to focus on growing native plants. Because of ever expanding habitat destruction most of our plants are declining in numbers, thereby threatening everything that depends upon them for food. Tallamy makes an extremely strong argument that local gardens are fast becoming the only place left for native plants but most are filled with alien and invasive plants bought at local nurseries and big box stores. Each of us has only so much space and we must carefully what we put in it. Our Garden Club has begun a four acre native garden and this book has become our garden. If you have any interest in trying to save the fauna that grows here naturally, please read this book.
April 22, 2022
It is very North American in focus and does not really translate to the UK (despite occasional examples) as we have a different history of native and alien species.
June 24, 2018
What a great book! The premise will be no news to an experienced gardener: native plants: good, non-native plants: not good. Tallamy explains why this is so beyond the obviously gargantuan mistakes of having imported kudzu and purple loosestrife. Native plants support an entire biome of insects, birds, and animals with which they co-evolved. Non-natives support of this biome is spotty to non-existent. Moreover, Tallamy asserts, a “pest free” garden is a garden that is not supporting life. While I would have welcomed more detailed information on how to create a native plant garden, I found the numerous photographs of native insects very helpful.
October 19, 2015
Excellent scientific (but approachable) information about why it's important to use native plants in your garden. Will make you look with new eyes at your neighborhood plants, and will likely give you the desire to rip out some of those useless foreign ornamentals, not to mention the hillsides full of invasive Himalayan blackberry. The author is based on the East Coast and some of the plant/animal information is more relevant to that area than to, say, us here in the Pacific Northwest. But the basic message is the same anywhere and is important for everyone: plant natives!
April 8, 2018
Just as Americans in the '40s planted Victory Gardens for the war effort, Doug Tallamy exhorts us to plant native gardens to restore biodiversity and halt the degradation of our planet. Beautifully written and scrupulously researched, Bringing Nature Home is one of those once-in-a-generation books that will change the way you live in the world. If Rachel Carson were alive today, she would have written this book. It is, quite simply, a prayer for our time.
June 3, 2023
Wow! Where do I start? I am so impressed and inspired by this book. I am becoming more and more aware of invasive and alien plants in my yard. I look forward to reading Tallamy's other books.
August 11, 2021
This was excellent. What a great piece of science communication! Tallamy has stuffed this book full of research, and in some ways it reads as reminiscent of a scientific paper, in that references follow in brackets for a lot of the information passed on here... and yet it's clearly written for the layperson. There's a restrained but friendly tone, a scattering of personal anecdotes, and more importantly simple, clear explanations of how and why it's important to prioritise native plants over introduced ones in gardens. Tallamy has very obviously written this to persuade, and in that he is successful.
His argument - and it is, as I said, backed up with lots of primary research - is that introduced plants can out-compete native ones, because the insects, birds, and other animals that are suddenly faced with this introduced plant have not evolved alongside it, and are not adapted to consume it. They prefer to eat native plants, by a wide margin, and in the absence of stressors like herbivory the introduced plants take off like gangbusters. This means less natives, which means less food for wildlife, which means the ongoing impoverishment and collapse of ecosystems as food and habitat runs out. Functioning ecosystems are important! We need them to live, and one way to help build them back up is to limit the number of introduced plants in people's gardens and to replace them with natives. Which is an eminently sensible and achievable goal - especially as it doesn't have to happen all at once - and Tallamy offers up a number of possible substitutions. It's all in an American context, of course, but the ecological principles can apply anywhere. I'm convinced.
His argument - and it is, as I said, backed up with lots of primary research - is that introduced plants can out-compete native ones, because the insects, birds, and other animals that are suddenly faced with this introduced plant have not evolved alongside it, and are not adapted to consume it. They prefer to eat native plants, by a wide margin, and in the absence of stressors like herbivory the introduced plants take off like gangbusters. This means less natives, which means less food for wildlife, which means the ongoing impoverishment and collapse of ecosystems as food and habitat runs out. Functioning ecosystems are important! We need them to live, and one way to help build them back up is to limit the number of introduced plants in people's gardens and to replace them with natives. Which is an eminently sensible and achievable goal - especially as it doesn't have to happen all at once - and Tallamy offers up a number of possible substitutions. It's all in an American context, of course, but the ecological principles can apply anywhere. I'm convinced.
July 20, 2023
Engaging, persuasive, poignant, timely. I was already interested in natives and replacing all my turf grass, and now I'm convinced that it's even more necessary. If we want birds to stick around, we need to plant natives since local insects typically cannot get nutrition from introduced (alien/naturalized) plants. Learning about different insects and native plants to support them was my favorite part of this masterpiece! So glad I bought the book to have on hand as a reference as I reshape my lawn.
It was also refreshing to read that I, as a lone gardener, can make a difference without waiting for corporations/government to do anything. I, personally, can alter my garden to help native wildlife. So inspiring!
It was also refreshing to read that I, as a lone gardener, can make a difference without waiting for corporations/government to do anything. I, personally, can alter my garden to help native wildlife. So inspiring!
November 11, 2020
As the quote on the cover says, “If you have a backyard, this book is for you.” Tallamy is an entomologist and regenerative gardener who nails every argument for replacing non-native decorative plant species (used overwhelmingly in the landscape industry) with native species in order to recreate pocket ecosystems and counter deforestation, urbanization and development. Highly recommend to plant-lovers, gardeners, and landscapers.
August 26, 2022
Tallamy provides a seemingly well researched argument that alien invasive species have done tremendous damage to nature, and home gardeners can do their part to address the problem. By focusing on growing native plants, we can support insects that subsequently support all other life further up the food chain.
I think I’m convinced, though I guess I need to act on it. A large part of the book is dedicated to specific plants and insects that I only skimmed.
Fun fact: this book was written about 15 years ago, and he uses the term “global warming” instead of “climate change.”
I think I’m convinced, though I guess I need to act on it. A large part of the book is dedicated to specific plants and insects that I only skimmed.
Fun fact: this book was written about 15 years ago, and he uses the term “global warming” instead of “climate change.”
April 3, 2022
An incredibly thorough resource on creating habitat for insects, birds, and creatures in general by cultivating flora native to the region in which one resides. While the amount of information is almost overwhelming, the photographs accompanying the text (most of which were taken by the author) are what stood out to me. Wow, just wow.
June 23, 2021
A revealing and rather alarming book of interest to gardeners and non-gardeners alike, on how many familiar trees, bushes, and garden plants at best contribute nothing to local ecosystems, and in many cases actively damage them by repelling the insects that native birds and other creatures depend on for food.
October 6, 2020
Nors autorius daugiau analizuoja situaciją Šiaurės Amerikoje, bendri principai tinka visur
September 9, 2019
Accessible and informative. The topics Tallamy covers are as relavent today as they were when he wrote this in 2009, perhaps even more so.
November 16, 2015
This is a very important book. I heartily recommend Bringing Nature Home to anyone who would like to contribute to a healthy natural ecosystem but does not know how. Doug Tallamy makes a strong case for restoring "the ecological integrity of suburbia in order to prevent the extinction of most of our plants and animals." Because of over-development and fragmentation of animal habitat, we have put our entire ecosystem at risk. And the remedy to this, Tallamy writes, is as simple as replacing alien plant species in our yards with native species. What is a native species, you ask? Think oak, sugar maple, and river birch, all of which we can choose to plant in our yards in place of Norway maple, Japanese Zelkova, or Bradford pear. Simple adjustments to plant choices by homeowners and gardeners can make a world of difference to our environment.
The book lists preferred native species for all parts of the US and includes photos of some of the most amazing insects you can imagine, insects which could actually be in your own back yard. If you'd hate to lose birds, butterflies, and other wonders of our natural world and would like to help to sustain them, read this book.
The book lists preferred native species for all parts of the US and includes photos of some of the most amazing insects you can imagine, insects which could actually be in your own back yard. If you'd hate to lose birds, butterflies, and other wonders of our natural world and would like to help to sustain them, read this book.
July 21, 2023
Insightful and thorough! Dr. Tallamy gives a call to action on using native plants to encourage biodiversity in the local insect and animal population.
The focus of the book tends to be on the Mid-Atlantic United States, where Dr. Tallamy lives and works, but the messaging is applicable to everyone, everywhere.
Most of the book talks about the science behind the biodiversity of native planting in understandable language.
This book also includes many photos, a large section on native plants by type and US region, host plants arranged by butterfly and moth and a large section with pictures of more insects than you even knew existed. This even includes a Q and A for tough questions you may have to answer when you start replacing your lawn with native plants (as I'm planning to do after reading this book!)
Easy and enjoyable read on how so many of us can help support biodiversity and wildlife.
The focus of the book tends to be on the Mid-Atlantic United States, where Dr. Tallamy lives and works, but the messaging is applicable to everyone, everywhere.
Most of the book talks about the science behind the biodiversity of native planting in understandable language.
This book also includes many photos, a large section on native plants by type and US region, host plants arranged by butterfly and moth and a large section with pictures of more insects than you even knew existed. This even includes a Q and A for tough questions you may have to answer when you start replacing your lawn with native plants (as I'm planning to do after reading this book!)
Easy and enjoyable read on how so many of us can help support biodiversity and wildlife.
February 12, 2021
Holy colonialism, Batman! 👀
Alternative title - "Our Bad: White People Figuring Out We F'ed Up"
It's not humans as a whole that have destroyed the environment in a matter of centuries. Indigenous peoples have been stewards of nature for tens of thousands of years. It's only western imperialism (read: white supremacy, capitalism, etc) that has destroyed so much in so little time. Seeing this author get praise and recognition for starting to figure out what indigenous people have been desperately trying to tell us for centuries just hurts my soul.
2.5/5 for entomology
Alternative title - "Our Bad: White People Figuring Out We F'ed Up"
It's not humans as a whole that have destroyed the environment in a matter of centuries. Indigenous peoples have been stewards of nature for tens of thousands of years. It's only western imperialism (read: white supremacy, capitalism, etc) that has destroyed so much in so little time. Seeing this author get praise and recognition for starting to figure out what indigenous people have been desperately trying to tell us for centuries just hurts my soul.
2.5/5 for entomology
July 1, 2008
This book changed the way I think about my garden. Tallamy's argument is simple and totally convincing: in order to sustain local bird populations, you need an insect population. In order to sustain a population of native insects, you need native plants. Tallamy also provides practical details for planning a garden of native species, and a guide to the plants and insects inhabiting such a garden. From now on I'm going to focus on making my garden contribute to the local wildlife food chain.
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