Suburban Ecology: Create a Butterfly Habitat in Your Yard this Summer

One of summer’s pleasures is catching a glimpse of a butterfly in your backyard. As beautiful as they are to look at, butterflies are also doing important work: pollinating your landscape plants. Stories of declining Monarch butterfly populations have made the news for the last several years. But they are not the only species in trouble. Invertebrates of all sorts are declining dramatically. There are many reasons for their decline, including pesticide use and habitat fragmentation. In many towns, there may be large natural areas with the right nectar and food sources, but they are no longer connected because of development that has occurred.

We can fix that by planting more native plants in our own yards to connect these habitats. By making a commitment to stop using insecticides. By keeping a space for butterfly eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises or adults to overwinter.

Get the details in the full article here. You’ll also learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, and find more resources and inspiration to get you started on your own butterfly habitat!

Suburban Ecology: 8 Steps to a Sustainable Yard

My yard is my refuge—and yours probably is too, whether it takes up a good portion of the landscape surrounding your home or is just a small border by your back steps.

Those of us with suburban yards are in a unique position to help the local environment. Our yards and our gardens aren’t just for ourselves. We share our little piece of paradise with the local birds and insects. I’ve listed eight things we can do to create a natural, sustainable place for all to enjoy. In the full article you’ll also find resources to help you get started!

Rain Barrels and watering Cans are attractive and sustainable!

Suburban Ecology: The Importance of Insects

Why we need insects more than they need us

Remember when our incandescent back porch lights had zillions of bugs flying around them at night? Not so much today; there are 45% fewer insects globally than there were in 1979. Fewer bugs may seem like a good thing, but insects pretty much help us run the world. They are the unsung heroes of pest control, organic matter decomposition and pollination, which keeps our world beautifully vegetated. We need not only to accept insects, but to also invite them into our gardens.

How can we lure the bugs back to our gardens? Add attractive native plants for the pollinators, add some tasty leaves, and hold off on the pesticides and insecticides! You can get more details in the full article here.

Suburban Ecology: Rain Gardens

After a week of heat, humidity and sunshine, a good heavy rain is a welcome relief. But what happens when the downpour ends? Just the other day, I watched helplessly as a broad stream of silty runoff gushed down the curb. Barren dirt from my neighbor’s front lawn-in-progress had eroded in the storm, picking up road oil, grease and stray garbage on its way to the storm drain and the nearby Whippany River.

There is a simple way to mitigate this waste of our precious resource: Rain Gardens.

Rain gardens perform an important service for the ecosystem, including replenishing groundwater, removing pollutants, and much more. And as always, when you help the natural environment, humans benefit, too.

Installing a rain garden is a natural, beautiful way to keep the rain where it falls, precisely where it can do the most good for our environment. Installing one in your yard will help repair and replenish your local rivers and streams. Find out how in my full article on Edible Jersey.

Suburban Ecology: Fall Clean-Up

The life-saving habit of untidying up

Fall detritus, leaves, decaying plant material, and mulch are essential to the winter survival of many plants, insects and butterflies. Removing this organic matter during fall clean-up takes away a great source of nutrients for my plants, and clears away shelter and food from useful bugs and insects who could overwinter there.

Allowing for a little useful mess in your yard and gardens over the winter is the best thing you can do for your tiny visitors and plantings. Read the full article at Edible Jersey.

Suburban Ecology: Feed the Birds

Anyone who has watched the 1964 classic film Mary Poppins will surely recall the lyrics from one of its most famous songs:

“Come feed the little birds, show them you care. And you’ll be glad if you do. Their young ones are hungry. Their nests are so bare.”*

The “little old bird woman” who sang it was right: Feeding the birds is thoughtful and rewarding, especially in winter. It can be an amusing pastime and our feathered friends will return the favor by entertaining you all winter long.

So why don’t more people feed the birds? Read more here to dispel bird-feeding myths, and discover how and what to provide for the birds in your yard.

*”Feed the Birds” by Richard M. Sherman /Robert B. Sherman, 1964