Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
Bringing Nature Home: How you can sustain wildlife with native
plants
by Douglas W. Tallamy, Timber Press 2007
Reviewed by Rebecca Dolan
Doug Tallamy is an entomology professor at the University of
Delaware. Although he and his students are actively publishing in
the scientific literature, he has written a wonderfully accessible
book on the importance of native plants in backyard habitats. He
makes a case, based on his studies, for native plants as the base
of the food web that supports desirable backyard wildlife, from
birds to turtles.
The first few chapters present a very clear review of basic
ecology and conservation biology covering topics such as effects of
fragmentation, invasive species, and why we should all care about
protection of biodiversity, focused on a local landscape everyone
can relate to - your own backyard. Later chapters suggest what to
plant and what to look for on the plants that birds and other
animals will like to eat.
The book is beautifully illustrated with Tallamy's own amazing
photographs of caterpillars and other insects. It is published by
Timber Press out of Oregon. They specialize in very reasonably
priced gardening and nature-orients books.
Dr. Tallamy will be speaking as part of the J. James Woods
Lecture Series at Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University on
November 3rd at 7:30. The event is free and open to the public.
More information is available at www.butler.edu/cueb.
- Rebecca Dolan is associate director of the Friesner Herbarium
at Butler University.