Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
We're living through a mass extinction ☠
Hi friend,Something that I don’t think is talked about enough is the fact that we’re living through one of the largest mass extinction events to ever happen on Earth. Our planet has lost 73% of wildlife biodiversity between 1970 and 2020, according to the World Wildlife Fund's Living Planet Report Right now, 40% of all insect species globally are in decline. And up to 1/3 of all insects are in the range to be endangered. Insects are the foundation of the food chain for both human and non-human animals.Without them our crops aren’t pollinated, birds can’t feed their babies, amphibians and reptiles starve, and all of that continues across the food chain. So for almost HALF of all insects across the world to be declining is pretty significant. It contributes to the decline of so many other animal populations. Habitat destruction and the replacement of native plants with exotic and invasive species play a huge role in the decline of insects and other wildlife. Up to 90% of all plant-eating insects are specialists. NINETY percent! That’s so many bugs. Being a specialist means they’re dependent on one plant or plant family at some point in their lifecycle. They need that plant to reproduce and it’s always native to the same region as them. What can you do to help?
Still need seeds to add to your native garden this year?
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Native Yardening
Ecologist helping North American growers use their yards to help fight the climate crisis 🌻
Hi friend, It’s that time of year again already. The leaves are falling and the humans are packing them into trash bags to send to the landfill, then wondering why they don’t see as many bees or lightning bugs as they used to. It’s not just some weird unimportant coincidence that all the different deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn. Leaf litter is crucial to healthy soil, wildlife survival & reproduction, and overall ecological health. As the leaves decompose, they add the nutrients...
Hi friend, As I post more on social media about the problems caused by invasive plants, I realize how much misunderstanding there is around these issues. I always get a little discouraged when I see firsthand how misinformed the general public is about how nature works. But I also understand that it's a systemic issue. We aren't taught about these things. I recently made this post on Facebook and Instagram, showing a handful of common invasive species in North America. For some reason, people...
Hi friend, Galls! What are they? Should you be concerned if you see something like this on your plants? A gall is an abnormal growth on exterior plant tissue (leaves, branches, flowers, etc.). They may look like tumors, warts, balls, or lumps, and vary widely in shape, size, color, etc. They’re complex and highly organized structures, and science still has a lot to learn about them. Most galls are caused by insects and other invertebrates like wasps, midges, aphids, mites, etc. either feeding...