Bringing Nature Home

September 1, 2007
Tallamy takes an obvious observationwildlife is threatened when suburban development encroaches on once wild landsand weds it toa novel one: that beneficial insects are being deprived of essential food resources when suburban gardeners exclusively utilize nonnative plant material. Such an imbalance, Tallamy declares, can lead to a weakened food chain that will no longer be able to support birds and other animal life. Once embraced only by members of the counterculture, the idea of gardening with native plants has been landscape designs poor stepchild, thought to involve weeds and other plants too unattractive for pristine suburban enclaves. Not so, says Tallamy, who presents compelling arguments foraesthetically pleasing, ecologically healthy gardening. With nothing less than the future of North American biodiversityat stake, Tallamy imparts an encouraging message: its not too late to save the ecosystem-sustaining matrix of insects and animals, andthe solution isas easyas replacing alien plants with natives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)