Plant it, and they will come

Scratch the surface of the natural “web,” and it’s easy to see how every species relies on others. For instance, many of the birds we enjoy watching and listening to rely on insects for their food source. In turn, many of these insects rely on specific plants. (A familiar example is milkweed, which is the sole host plant for the monarch butterfly.) On the other end of the spectrum are plants that provide food for multiple species. The white oak is the champion in this regard. Tallamy says that oaks in our Mid-Atlantic region support hundreds of caterpillar species—557 to be exact. By comparison, most other native trees in our region don’t break the 100-species mark. If you have room to plant just one tree, you might consider making it a white oak.

What happens when you plant with the food web in mind? Animals know what they need to survive, they know how to find it, and there’s endless delight in seeing who arrives. There’s also a benefit to letting dead things remain. The old, rotting, pin oak tree in the corner of our yard is host to different species of woodpeckers, along with nuthatches and other birds that thrive on the insects living in the rotting trunk and limbs. As we’ve planted more pollinator-friendly plants and left more things as nature intended, our backyard has become an almost enchanted place, with bird, bee, and small mammal activity. I often joke that we live in a Disney movie, and that all we need is for Snow White and some dwarves to show up!

Creating Homegrown National Park isn’t just a feelgood proposition, i.e., knowing that you’re helping the environment. There’s so much benefit to us personally, as well: relaxation, serenity, beauty, exploration and discovery, the music of birdsong, and the soothing sound of even a tiny fountain. You can create your own “happy place,” without even going across the street.