Released by the Florida Wildlife Commission
by Peter Kleinhenz
Where is nature? The question may seem too philosophical to have much meaning, but I’ve found that asking this question is a valuable exercise. Many people respond with the names of national parks or bioregions like Yellowstone, the Amazon Basin or the Himalayas. But what if I told you that, for the majority of young Americans, the answer is “my backyard?”
You may look out your window and think, “There’s no way that anything of note lives out there.” That depends. If your yard consists mostly of green lawn and nonnative plants, that’s a real possibility. Planting a single native tree or plant can shift that reality, however. Consider that a Carolina chickadee, for example, requires 5,000 insects per clutch of hatchlings during the nesting season. Those insects, in most cases, won’t be found on nonnative plants as often as on the native plants that they have evolved with. So, that one live oak or milkweed you plant could make a big difference.
Natural habitat in Florida and throughout the country is shrinking. Approximately 900 people move to Florida each day, and these people need places to live. Instead of their houses and yards contributing to the decline in wildlife habitat, though, they could help reverse it. Just think, if each person planted even a couple of native plants in a backyard, the net result would be dramatic in terms of creating hospitable conditions for native wildlife. People often ask me, “What is something that I can actually do to help the environment?” Getting involved with Backyards and Beyond seems to me like a pretty solid answer.
Learn more about Backyards and Beyond
and how to participate in Leon County’s City Nature Challenge.
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