Native Gardening: Beauty, Nature,
Connection, Joy!

Declining pollinators and birds need more food on the landscape —more wildflowers, more wild leaves.

For wildlife and ourselves, we can do better than grass
—Let’s get gardening!

Why Native Gardens Matter

Bird and insect populations are declining at a dramatic rate. Since 1970, North America has lost an estimated 3 billion birds—about 30% of the total population. Insect abundance, where measured, has also dropped by around 45% in recent decades.

In Vermont, five of the state’s 17 bumblebee species have disappeared, and roughly 30% of wild bee species are considered imperiled.

These numbers are startling, but there’s a lot we can do!

What You Plant at Home Makes a Difference

The good news is that backyard gardens are a big part of the solution. Research has shown that landscapes designed with native plants can:

  • Support significantly more caterpillars (bird food)

  • Increase bird abundance, diversity, and breeding success

  • Host 8 times more birds of conservation concern compared to traditional yards!

Native Gardens = More Flowers, More Beauty, More Fun, More Life!

The Role of Native Plants

A major reason for these declines is habitat loss—especially the loss of native plants. For both birds and pollinators, native plants are more than garden flowers. They are food, shelter and home.

Doug Tallamy’s research at the University of Delaware has helped us understand the link between native plants, insects, and birds:

During breeding season, 96% of birds feed their young mostly insects
—especially caterpillars, which are soft and rich in protein.
But here's the catch: about 90% of herbivorous insects are specialists, meaning they can only eat the specific native plants they evolved with.

Without those plants, the insects that rely on them decline —and the birds follow.

References

  1. Rosenberg, Kenneth V., et al. Decline of the North American avifauna. Science, 366.6461 (2019): 120–124. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10133018

  2. Wagner, David L., et al. Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118.2 (2021). https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118

  3. McFarland, K.P., Richardson, L., & Zahendra, S. Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas. Vermont Center for Ecostudies – Vermont Atlas of Life, 2015. http://val.vtecostudies.org

  4. Hardy, S., Hallworth, M. T., Ferguson, M., et al. The State of Vermont’s Wild Bees 2022. Vermont Center for Ecostudies – Vermont Atlas of Life, 2022. https://stateofbees.vtatlasoflife.org

  5. Tallamy, Doug. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens. Timber Press, 2007.

  6. U.S. Department of the Interior. Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful, 2021. https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/report-conserving-and-restoring-america-the-beautiful-2021.pdf

  7. Wilson, E. O. Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. Liveright, 2016.

  8. Dinerstein, Eric, et al. A Global Deal for Nature: Guiding Principles, Milestones, and Targets. Science Advances, 5.4 (2019): eaaw2869. https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aaw2869

  9. Burghardt, Karin T., Tallamy, D. W., & Shriver, W. G. Impact of native plants on bird and butterfly biodiversity in suburban landscapes. Conservation Biology, 23.1 (2009): 219–224. https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01076.x