Doug Tallamy: How Gardening with Native Plants Helps Wildlife, CA Focus

Renowned ecologist and entomologist Doug Tallamy explains why native plants are critical to sustaining wildlife and how home gardeners can halt extinction and species loss when they choose native plants, particularly caterpillar host plants. Tallamy was the keynote speaker of the 2020 online Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, featuring California native plant gardens in the San Francisco East Bay, CA. www.bringingbackthenatives.net

[@joerich9636]

Always great hearing someone quoting E.O. Wilson

[@guloguloguy]

THANK YOU, VERY, VERY, MUCH!!! THIS IS VITAL, ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION, TO UNDERSTAND!!! I HAVE ALL OF YOU BOOKS, AND NEVER TIRE OF HEARING YOUR MESSAGE! ("SHARED"!!)

[@waynetyson3822]

Context is everything!

[@waynetyson3822]

The underlying PRINCIPLES driving the presence or absence or frequency of organisms are universal. So Tallamy could come to California and recognize familiar processes. Soils and roots are often ignored, as are the associated microbiomes, but "in that we err, we greatly err." (Beston) Whether it is in the abundant clay soils of the East or the generally more coarse and rocky soils of the West, root requirements, for example, follow the same rules. I started with Kramer's PLANT & SOIL WATER RELATIONSHIPS in the mid '50's, and graduated to Kramer and Boyle's WATER RELATIONS OF PLANTS AND SOILS more "recently." Perhaps there are newer treatments that are "better." As Doug said, "Ecology is not rocket science, it's harder." True, but while we'll never know everything, we can learn essential truths (always provisional), provided we "know what we don't know." (M. Mead) As Josh Billings was fond of saying, "The worst kind of ignorance is not so much not knowing, as it is knowing so much that ain't so!" If we continue to challenge our assumptions, we will learn. If we slavishly follow "best practices" we will tend to stay in the intellectual ruts of convention--a "worst" practice if there every was one. Forging fresh cutting edges is great fun, and anyone can do it! Eschew the drudgery of convention--with which the plant business has long been plagued. As they say in England, TAKE COURAGE!

[@alimoharrer5801]

Thank you Doug! We have a yard and at work with the native plants, love to see the Caterpillars feeding the chickadees! Wow! The color of fall is due to sunlight at carotenoids! Ali

[@sherylenchoy4983]

Very informative 😊thanks for sharing!

[@alanbrooke144]

Watching from New Zealand - great presentation, all the same issues here.

[@bringingbackthenativesgard8975]

Hi Alan, We just spent a wonderful month in NZ in November; my 4th trip there. What a beautiful country it is! Kathy

[@johnbierma9834]

Very good. Thank you 👍🙏🙏

[@bringingbackthenativesgard8975]

Hi John - I'm glad you enjoyed this video; there are two more talks by Doug on this channel. I know you will enjoy them, as well. Kathy Kramer

[@yenbui9743]

Where can I find the chart of the native and non native plant value to butterflies and moths?

[@bringingbackthenativesgard8975]

You will find it on the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour's website, under the "Doug Tallamy" section. The website is www.BringingBacktheNatives.net. www.bringingbackthenatives.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Bar-chart-Tallamy-natves-vs-nonnatives.pdf