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
Rosenberg, Kenneth V., et al. Decline of the North American avifauna. Science, 366.6461 (2019): 120–124. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10133018
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
McFarland, K.P., Richardson, L., & Zahendra, S. Vermont Bumble Bee Atlas. Vermont Center for Ecostudies – Vermont Atlas of Life, 2015. http://val.vtecostudies.org
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
Tallamy, Doug. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens. Timber Press, 2007.
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
Wilson, E. O. Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. Liveright, 2016.
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
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