Dr. Doug Tallamy: Nature’s Best Hope – A Grassroots Revolution to Create a Homegrown National Park, One Lawn at a Time

The Wilderness and Wellness Podcast

Join me for a discussion with Dr. Doug Tallamy about a simple yet revolutionary way that we can save nature while building a relationship with it and gaining the health benefits of such an activity at the same time. With his extensive research background on the interactions of the plant and insect world, Dr. Tallamy skillfully teaches us:

· The ecology of native vs. non-native plants and why maintaining native plants matters to the insect population.

· how the health of the insect population is foundational for the health of the ecosystem, especially birds.

· Why it is important not just to protect places where people aren’t inhabiting, such as national parks and preserves, but to also maintain suitable habitat in the places people do inhabit.

· How we can cut our lawns in half to create a “Homegrown National Park” and shatter the almost universally accepted myth that humans and nature cannot coexist in the same areas.

· How to approach prohibitive homeowners’ associations to advocate for the planting of more native species.

· The three historical missteps that modern western humans have made that have disconnected us from nature and helped to create the ecological crisis we now face.

· Ideas for getting started creating your own “Homegrown National Park”.

Connect with Dr. Tallamy and “Homegrown National Park”:

Homegrown National Park Website

Dr. Tallamy’s Presentation to The National Wildlife Federation

Book Recommendations:

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, by: Douglas Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded, by: Douglas Tallamy

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees , by: Douglas Tallamy (Available March 30, 2021)

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change, by: Larry Weaner & Thomas Christopher

Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States: The Guide to Creating a Sustainable Landscape, by: Tony Dove & Ginger Woolridge