Suburban Ecology: In Praise of Trees

I talk a lot about how important natives plants are, but today I’m going to dedicate some time to telling you how beautiful and beneficial native trees are.

Yes, they offer shade for you and your family, but they have so much to offer your backyard wildlife! The offer food and shelter to countless birds and other critters, they help keep temperatures a little cooler so you can turn off your a/c sooner, they help with stormwater runoff, erosion, carbon storage, and of course they create oxygen for us to breathe! And they do all that while also being able to provide 4 seasons of interest to your landscape.

A native Witchhazel blooming with fruit and flowers in September.

For some specific favorite natives of mine, as well as some helpful hints for planting your next tree (I really hope after reading the article you’ll be planting a tree), click here for the full article.

Suburban Ecology: Why Native Plants are Important

Back to Basics

If you check in here regularly, I bet you’ve noticed me extolling the benefits of native plants. I, like most ecologically minded gardening writers, will tell you that native plants are good for the environment, that they use fewer resources and require less maintenance, that they preserve biodiversity … but what does all this really mean?

Are natives really low maintenance? Should I put in a few varieties, or lots of different ones? Why are non-natives so bad, anyway? How did we get to the point that this is a problem? And can we talk about the deer?

Find the answers to these questions and more in the full article here. You’ll also find a list of native plants that are deer resistant - or as resistant as possible! Go Native. You won’t regret it!

Bee on native thistle

Suburban Ecology: Create a Butterfly Habitat in Your Yard this Summer

One of summer’s pleasures is catching a glimpse of a butterfly in your backyard. As beautiful as they are to look at, butterflies are also doing important work: pollinating your landscape plants. Stories of declining Monarch butterfly populations have made the news for the last several years. But they are not the only species in trouble. Invertebrates of all sorts are declining dramatically. There are many reasons for their decline, including pesticide use and habitat fragmentation. In many towns, there may be large natural areas with the right nectar and food sources, but they are no longer connected because of development that has occurred.

We can fix that by planting more native plants in our own yards to connect these habitats. By making a commitment to stop using insecticides. By keeping a space for butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or adults to overwinter.

Get the details in the full article here. You’ll also learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, and find more resources and inspiration to get you started on your own butterfly habitat!

Suburban Ecology: 8 Steps to a Sustainable Yard

My yard is my refuge—and yours probably is too, whether it takes up a good portion of the landscape surrounding your home or is just a small border by your back steps.

Those of us with suburban yards are in a unique position to help the local environment. Our yards and our gardens aren’t just for ourselves. We share our little piece of paradise with the local birds and insects. I’ve listed eight things we can do to create a natural, sustainable place for all to enjoy. In the full article you’ll also find resources to help you get started!

Rain Barrels and watering Cans are attractive and sustainable!

Suburban Ecology: The Importance of Insects

Why we need insects more than they need us

Remember when our incandescent back porch lights had zillions of bugs flying around them at night? Not so much today; there are 45% fewer insects globally than there were in 1979. Fewer bugs may seem like a good thing, but insects pretty much help us run the world. They are the unsung heroes of pest control, organic matter decomposition and pollination, which keeps our world beautifully vegetated. We need not only to accept insects, but to also invite them into our gardens.

How can we lure the bugs back to our gardens? Add attractive native plants for the pollinators, add some tasty leaves, and hold off on the pesticides and insecticides! You can get more details in the full article here.

Suburban Ecology: Rain Gardens

After a week of heat, humidity and sunshine, a good heavy rain is a welcome relief. But what happens when the downpour ends? Just the other day, I watched helplessly as a broad stream of silty runoff gushed down the curb. Barren dirt from my neighbor’s front lawn-in-progress had eroded in the storm, picking up road oil, grease and stray garbage on its way to the storm drain and the nearby Whippany River.

There is a simple way to mitigate this waste of our precious resource: Rain Gardens.

Rain gardens perform an important service for the ecosystem, including replenishing groundwater, removing pollutants, and much more. And as always, when you help the natural environment, humans benefit, too.

Installing a rain garden is a natural, beautiful way to keep the rain where it falls, precisely where it can do the most good for our environment. Installing one in your yard will help repair and replenish your local rivers and streams. Find out how in my full article on Edible Jersey.