Lisa Tallman transformed her suburban Pennsylvania yard five years ago, and it was more than just gardening. Lisa used specific Native American planting methods and paired them with plants from the region. This created a remarkable habitat. For the first time in decades, Tallman's habitat created a place where rare birds could thrive and be successfully seen in her neighborhood.
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Check Price\"I nearly spilled my coffee the first time I spotted a scarlet tanager.\" She recalls. \"I see these birds all the time now, it feels like I live in a Grand Central Station for birds.\"\
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The Return to Native Wisdom
Native plants in residential yards can increase bird species diversity by up to 800%, compared to typical gardens, according to a recent study in Conservation Biology. Traditional gardening practices, especially with native species, create systems that are more likely to attract birds than modern landscaping, found the Douglas W. Tallamy Lab, University of Delaware.
Practices pertaining to this new trend are still thousands of years old. The National Agricultural Library, which has some of the earliest records of the adaptive and sustainable agriculture of Indigenous people in North America, has records of Indigenous people around their Three Sisters gardens (corn, beans, and squash).
The Secret Lies in Layers
Just like Native Americans, modern day gardeners are becoming interested in vertical diversity. Traditional gardens had components that went beyond the ground such as :
- Ground cover plants that provide foraging opportunities
- Mid-height shrubs offering nesting sites
- Canopy layers from native trees provide protection and food
- Natural water features integrated into the landscape
The various layers simulate an actual forest and assist birds in getting used to a suburban setting.
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Why Modern Gardens Fall Short
The modern design of landscaping misses a lot of the different ways to support the local avifauna. Most of the plants used in landscaping are ornamental and non-native, which means they are not ecologically functional. What modern landscaping creates are food deserts. While aesthetically pleasing to humans, these environments go largely unutilized by the local wildlife. Additionally, many modern gardens lack the adequate structural complexity to sufficiently shelter predation and adverse weather.
Drafting the loss of Traditional techniques in gardening is a significant loss to society. Studies show that North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970. North America has lost birds due to the loss of North America bird-friendly gardens. Historically inspired gardens are beginning to reverse this trend.
Constructing a Time Machine That Is Safe For Birds
The great thing is you don't need a degree in historical botany to make a difference. What you can do is:
Utilize flora that is indigenous to your region. These have developed in tandem with your nearby avifauna over millennia and supply what is required by the birds.
When creating structural diversity, use a range of species of different heights and growth forms. This mimics what is seen within the natural layering of traditional gardens.
While bird baths can provide drinking spots for birds, they're not the only water feature you can include in your yard. Consider natural style water gardens with varying depth and levels of rapidly moving water. These types of gardens will entice a greater variety of species.
When considering bird-friendly gardening techniques, steer clear of any chemical pesticides. Traditional gardens also considered pest control with insect-eating birds in mind. These techniques are great at keeping pests. Companion planting fosters the beneficial and pest-eating insects.
Amazing results have been reported by researchers. In the example of the suburbs where these techniques were used, the researchers observed the return of species that had been gone for many years, including several warblers, thrushes, and native sparrows.
A Future Rooted in the Past
The old ways of gardening do more than just help us talk with our avian friends. They provide schematics to establish viable urban ecosystems. Using these methods, we are attempting to address the issues of climate change and the loss of habitats as they pertain to the conservation of wildlife.
By repairing these antiquated systems and reintroducing lost bird species, we are aiding the balance between human and natural habitats. With the growing number of gardeners using these models, the suburbs will be transformed from a simple system into a complex ecosystem that will be of service to both man and nature.
