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 1 Comment

• Re: Encouraging People to use Native Plants in their Gardens

  2010-01-07 09:03:36 UTC

  An excellent article on the importance of native plants in preserving biodiversity is "Gardening for Life" available for download on the Wild Ones website at www.for-wild.org/download/gardeningforlife.pdf.
  
  The author is Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delaware. He's also the author of Bringing Nature Home, an excellent discussion of the role of home and public landscapes in preserving biodiversity. It's science-based, but addressed to a general audience. Can't recommend it highly enough! An educational and inspiring book.
  
  There's a difference between just discouraging invasives and actively promoting natives. The difference is that native insects -- the basis for healthy ecosystems -- can mostly eat only native plants, the plants with which they co-evolved. For example, phragmites, which has been in the US for hundreds of years, still only supports a small handful of insects here compared to the hundreds it supports in its native range. It might as well be plastic for all it contributes to our ecosystem. For a more thorough explanation and suggestions for incorporating native plants, please read Tallamy's book!
  
  Janet Allen
  United States

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